#he won’t admit it to himself but the moment either of them starts to doubt that they are cared for he will drop everything and remind them | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

halothenthehorns · 6 months ago

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Chapter 4: HERA HIJACKS RACHEL

What an auspicious day to be posting that I’m sure has no relevance whatsoever to this fic…

HOOPJOHOOPJOHOOPJO

Will sighed and casually told them it just said Piper’s name again, though nobody had really expected otherwise. It was somehow continually disappointing though. Percy had a vivid mind that was usually fun to get glimpses of, those little chapter titles were like a part of him to gauge themselves for what was to come, even a brief moment of a laugh. Despite all Percy complained of them being needless, he more than suspected Percy had grown to secretly like them too, even just to brace himself.

Plus, the minor detail that Percy had very agreeably had no problems sharing his thoughts. Jason had known this was coming, and made no protest.

Piper wasn’t here to tell them she didn’t want her mind wide open for all of them to ogle at. This might not have literally ever happened to her as this was portraying, but Will had no doubts it would likely dig into her backstory, her private thoughts, her dreams. It had already started doing that by continuing to admire Jason and clearly making him uncomfortable about it.

No, all in all, Will was not happy about this turn of events and he wished they could skip back to Jason already.

But one look at Annabeth’s steely expression and he knew he’d be outwitted real quick and she’d either read it herself or talk the others into joining. This was about Percy to her, Piper was just the vessel. This was about what Percy would have been going through right now if he wasn't safe here.

He could still walk out and avoid this if he wished, she wouldn’t push that far, but he couldn’t see the point in confessing to Piper one day that he’d just sat idly by and not listened while he’d allowed others. He didn’t think he’d earn her confidence for just being a bystander because he sat out.

“Will?” Nico asked in concern when his hesitation kept lingering, he couldn’t make his tongue unstick to start no matter what he told himself.

“I don’t like doing this to Piper, she has no idea we’re all sitting around talking about her own private thoughts,” he admitted.

“Annabeth didn’t get a choice either,” Percy bluntly reminded.

Will had felt bad for that too, but he’d had confidence she wouldn’t hold a grudge when she found out why, and he’d been right. She’d never batted an eye anymore than Percy at her life on display, because it had helped keep her boyfriend safe in the long run.

“Listen Will,” Thalia said gently, “Piper’s going to have to learn the hard way the same as the rest of us did, this isn’t our fault. We don't get to control what we see in our dreams, we don’t get to tell the monsters to go away because we’re not in the mood. We’ve never been able to truly convince the gods against whatever plan we’re all involved in. I am sorry as well, I’d never do this to her if I had a choice, but we don’t. She’s clearly in Jason’s life, and we need to know why. Whoever did this to Jason did this to her and Leo too, and if we want to stop them, we need to know what they’re planning. We won’t if we just politely ask whoever wiped the boys' minds to give us a clear answer.”

“They’re not here.” Annabeth agreed. “We are. For all we know they’re dead or taken by those storm spirits as captives for Jason to turn up, or sitting around in happy ignorance at this Wilderness School. We won’t find out until we get out of here, and then we’ll find a way to make it up to them both whenever we finish this.”

Will nodded and took a deep breath. He still didn’t feel great, but he knew that sometimes you had to rebreak a healing fracture to insure it would be better in the long run. It was hurting Piper, but he wanted to believe it would save her too from these dangers they would have to face.

PIPER IV

PIPER SOON REALIZED ANNABETH’S HEART wasn’t in the tour.

“Shocker,” Percy snorted, rubbing his hand gently up and down her arm. “You're telling me you wouldn’t take her right up to Thalia’s tree and then Zeus’s Fist with every gory miserable detail while I’m away?”

“Drew’s the one trying to scare away the newbies, not me,” she said with that smile only he brought out of her.

She talked about all this amazing stuff the camp offered —magic archery,

“We have magic archery!” Percy yelped.

“Dammit, you weren’t supposed to find out about that,” Will chucked, but it was just slightly awkward enough for them to believe he wasn’t kidding.

“You cause enough problems with a regular bow and arrow, nobody’s going to show you the enchantments that cause plague arrows,” Annabeth reminded much more severely.

Percy still looked a little miffed, but he couldn't deny her either…it was more weird than anything Piper was seeing new things her first day there he hadn't in years though!

pegasus riding, the lava wall, fighting monsters —but she showed no excitement, as if her mind were elsewhere. She pointed out the open-air dining pavilion that overlooked Long Island Sound. (Yes, Long Island, New York; they’d traveled that far on the chariot.) Annabeth explained how Camp Half-Blood was mostly a summer camp, but some kids stayed here year-round, and they’d added so many campers it was always crowded now, even in winter.

Percy looked so proud. He’d stood on top of that hill looking down on all this and never felt a more tangible sense of accomplishment as he’d touched Thalia’s tree. He’d done this. All those cabins, all those kids running around. Even as he’d stood there, he’d seen the glow go up of another camper being claimed who’d arrived earlier that morning.

He’d never seen Alex or Magnus with a more hopeful face hearing of this either. He suspected. He’d seen those lean, hungry faces on the streets and knew where they were headed. They’d be safe there too instead rather than out in the cold, he’d make sure of it no matter who their parents were on what pantheon.

Piper wondered who ran the camp, and how they’d known Piper and her friends belonged here.

“More questions Annabeth isn’t going to answer, it’s like she’s got her own list,” Alex smirked.

“I make sure they know the relevant information,” she shrugged.

Percy opened his mouth to protest, but thought better of it. She was distracted and miserable in this gods-awful future, he didn’t want to tease her at this particular moment when she was clinging to his hand so hard it should have hurt.

She wondered if she’d have to stay full-time, or if she’d be any good at the activities. Could you flunk out of monster fighting?

“Yes, but it’s one of those pass or fail grades,” Nico said with a sardonic smile.

Magnus opened, then closed his mouth, deciding not to ask. He much preferred his idea of the kids who ��failed’ were just told to go work on healing or anything else to help rather than, well, being eaten.

A million questions bubbled in her head, but given Annabeth’s mood, she decided to keep quiet.

Annabeth sighed, feeling bad all the same. She’d never strived to be on the welcome committee, she usually had enough of her own projects going on to give much attention to it. She only usually made this kind of effort when they were obviously a half-sibling, which Piper could be. In recent months some had turned up that finally weren’t blond haired and gray eyed, as if her mom had lost taste in some sort of joke. She didn’t think that’s why she'd singled Piper out though.

As they climbed a hill at the edge of camp, Piper turned and got an amazing view of the valley—a big stretch of woods to the northwest, a beautiful beach, the creek, the canoe lake, lush green fields, and the whole layout of the cabins—a bizarre assortment of buildings arranged like a Greek omega, Ω, with a loop of cabins around a central green, and two wings sticking out the bottom on either side. Piper counted twenty cabins in all. One glowed golden, another silver. One had grass on the roof. Another was bright red with barbed wire trenches. One cabin was black with fiery green torches out front.

“Well she got all the important ones,” Thalia chuckled.

“I’m surprised she didn’t notice Iris’s, that thing’s a work of art with all that stained glass,” Annabeth looked almost disappointed Piper hadn’t offered her a complete structural description of every building, it would have been fascinating to hear of it from another mind than how her own viewed it.

All of it seemed like a different world from the snowy hills and fields outside.

“The valley is protected from mortal eyes,” Annabeth said. “As you can see, the weather is controlled, too. Each cabin represents a Greek god—a place for that god’s children to live.”

She looked at Piper like she was trying to judge how Piper was handling the news. “You’re saying Mom was a goddess.”

Annabeth nodded.

“Or her dad, why doesn't anybody ever mention that,” Will looked like he was writing Annabeth note cards he’d sew into her jacket for her next tour.

“I try to ease them into that, not everybody’s so accepting Will,” Annabeth shrugged. She got enough strange looks from her own mom’s ‘birthing process’. She never strived to start with new kids other ideas just as strange as how a demigod came into the world.

“You’re taking this awfully calmly.”

“A storm spirit pushed her off a skyscraper this morning and some guy she thought she knew flew down to catch her,” Percy reminded nobody. “At some point she got maxed out on weirdness.” He said from experience.

Piper couldn’t tell her why. She couldn’t admit that this just confirmed some weird feelings she’d had for years, arguments she’d had with her father about why there were no photos of Mom in the house, and why Dad would never tell her exactly how or why her mom had left them. But mostly, the dream had warned her this was coming. Soon they will find you, demigod, that voice had rumbled. When they do, follow our directions. Cooperate, and your father might live.

“Oh!” Will looked like somebody had just punched the last sentence out of him and then slammed his face into the floor for dessert. He finally lost any lingering reservations against not doing this for Piper’s own good. This was happening to her right now. If he’d ever had a way to stop this from happening to Percy he would have done it, now he would use this as the gift it was from his dad or whichever god had seen fit to string all this together.

“Gods, that poor girl,” Percy murmured, heart immediately out for her, hand curling towards his pen with the need to draw it and head out for the Underworld all over again.

Annabeth and Thalia exchanged an uneasy look though. It was Luke and Percy starting all over again. A voice in her dreams manipulating her now? Even before she’d arrived at Camp! Another power was stirring.

Piper took a shaky breath. “I guess after this morning, it’s a little easier to believe. So who’s my mom?”

“We should know soon,” Annabeth said. “You’re what —fifteen? Gods are supposed to claim you when you’re thirteen. That was the deal.”

“The deal?”

“They made a promise last summer … well, long story…

“Like, five books and counting?” Percy asked innocently.

“Even if I trimmed it down to just relevant information it would take half the day,” Annabeth murmured, her mind twisting a complicated path. Of how she’d try and explain Luke, of where Percy would be right now and who was talking to him about his empty path, of Piper and Leo and that prophecy she hadn’t wanted to believe could already be stirring…

but they promised not to ignore their demigod children anymore, to claim them by the time they turn thirteen. Sometimes it takes a little longer, but you saw how fast Leo was claimed once he got here. Should happen for you soon. Tonight at the campfire, I bet we’ll get a sign.”

Piper wondered if she’d have a big flaming hammer over her head, or with her luck, something even more embarrassing. A flaming wombat, maybe.

“Wombat’s are adorable,” Magnus said stoutly. “I’d be okay with having that as my symbol!”

“I don’t think the Greek’s even knew marsupials existed,” Annabeth told her cousin fondly with twitching lips. “Unless Echidna finally embraced a new side of herself, I don’t think you or Piper will be so lucky.”

At least giving the others a small moment to chuckle.

Whoever her mother was, Piper had no reason to think she’d be proud to claim a kleptomaniac daughter with massive problems.

“Pfft, there’s a rumor Ares has all of his kids' criminal records as wallpaper,” Will shrugged.

“On the other hand, Aphrodite might have a heart attack if she looked at her ragged hair,” Thalia rolled her eyes. “Expecting any god's reaction is basically throwing a hundred sided dice out.”

“Why thirteen?”

“The older you get,” Annabeth said, “the more monsters notice you, try to kill you. ’Round thirteen is usually when it starts. That’s why we send protectors into the schools to find you guys, get you to camp before it’s too late.”

“Like Coach Hedge?”

Annabeth nodded. “He’s—he was a satyr:

Will winced at Annabeth clearly thinking him dead, but had no heart to argue the point. He knew she’d know best on the matter.

half man, half goat. Satyrs work for the camp, finding demigods, protecting them, bringing them in when the time is right.”

Piper had no trouble believing Coach Hedge was half goat. She’d seen the guy eat. She’d never liked the coach much, but she couldn’t believe he’d sacrificed himself to save them.

“What happened to him?” she asked. “When we went up into the clouds, did he … is he gone for good?”

“Hard to say.” Annabeth’s expression was pained. “Storm spirits … difficult to battle. Even our best weapons, Celestial bronze, will pass right through them unless you can catch them by surprise.”

That didn’t really sound like what happened though, Annabeth knew. Jason had just, swung. Some innate skill holding the blade, obviously, but those monsters were facing him and had no reason to be tangible enough for the blade to pass through them. It seemed stronger than Celestial bronze.

“Jason’s sword just turned them to dust,” Piper remembered.

“He was lucky, then.

Annabeth held her hands up and uttered a quick apology Jason hadn’t needed. He knew Annabeth didn’t know everything then as she did now, and besides, Jason knew it had been minor luck as well. Instincts could only take him so far.

If you hit a monster just right, you can dissolve them, send their essence back to Tartarus.”

“Tartarus?”

“A huge abyss in the Underworld, where the worst monsters come from. Kind of like a bottomless pit of evil. Anyway, once monsters dissolve, it usually takes months, even years before they can re-form again. But since this storm spirit Dylan got away—well, I don’t know why he’d keep Hedge alive. Hedge was a protector, though. He knew the risks. Satyrs don’t have mortal souls. He’ll be reincarnated as a tree or a flower or something.”

Piper tried to imagine Coach Hedge as a clump of very angry pansies. That made her feel even worse.

It made them laugh, but only in a subdued way. Grover bleated in the back of their mind, of how many of his people he’d lost over the summer. Any others that followed felt like a kick while they were down, no matter how angry the pansies turned out to be.

She gazed at the cabins below, and an uneasy feeling settled over her. Hedge had died to get her here safely. Her mom’s cabin was down there somewhere, which meant she had brothers and sisters, more people she’d have to betray.

“Oh boy,” Percy muttered, his stomach in knots. He felt for this girl deeply, he’d do anything he could to help her get her dad back. He couldn’t even be angry she’d showed up in his home with a pretty rock solid resolution to go through with this betrayal, she didn’t know them, had no reason to care.

But there was this. She was hesitating. She wasn’t evil and dismissive and uncaring of what she was doing. He had hope he’d be able to help her before it got this far, or hold out his hand and pull her back if it went too bad while finding another way to rescue her dad.

Do what we tell you, the voice had said. Or the consequences will be painful. She tucked her hands under her arms, trying to stop them from shaking.

“It’ll be okay,” Annabeth promised. “You have friends here. We’ve all been through a lot of weird stuff. We know what you’re going through.”

Percy ran his hand down her back in gratitude, and she took a deep breath of relief knowing that’s what he would have said. That they meant it and hoped Piper would trust them enough to ask for help if Annabeth gave her a good reason. She was starting off well.

I doubt that, Piper thought.

That caused the somberest of chuckles as well. Oh if only she knew.

“I’ve been kicked out of five different schools the past five years,” she said. “My dad’s running out of places to put me.”

“Only five?” Annabeth didn’t sound like she was teasing. “Piper, we’ve all been labeled troublemakers. I ran away from home when I was seven.”

“Seriously?”

“Oh, yeah. Most of us are diagnosed with attention deficit disorder or dyslexia, or both—”

“Leo’s ADHD,” Piper said.

“Right. It’s because we’re hardwired for battle. Restless, impulsive—we don’t fit in with regular kids. You should hear how much trouble Percy—” Her face darkened.

“Not in the mood to brag about the number of fires I’ve started?” Percy lightly teased as she tensed beside him no matter what she told herself.

“Not until you’re there to put them out,” she sighed.

“Anyway, demigods get a bad rep. How’d you get in trouble?”

Usually when someone asked that question, Piper started a fight, or changed the subject, or caused some kind of distraction. But for some reason she found herself telling the truth.

Annabeth’s smile still had a dimness to it as she looked at the book, but she was happy she’d really made a connection to her and hoped it would be enough. Piper and Leo were key’s to figuring this out, even if Annabeth didn’t know what locks they went into yet, they’d be beside Jason’s. She knew that much.

“I steal stuff,” she said. “Well, not really steal …”

“Is your family poor?”

Piper laughed bitterly. “Not even. I did it … I don’t know why. For attention, I guess. My dad never had time for me unless I got in trouble.”

Annabeth nodded. “I can relate. But you said you didn’t really steal? What do you mean?”

“Well … nobody ever believes me. The police, teachers —even the people I took stuff from: they’re so embarrassed, they’ll deny what happened. But the truth is, I don’t steal anything. I just ask people for things. And they give me stuff. Even a BMW convertible. I just asked. And the dealer said, ‘Sure. Take it.’ Later, he realized what he’d done, I guess. Then the police came after me.”

“Charm speak,” Thalia said with confidence this time, “and a powerfully useful one at that if she’s doing this untrained.”

“A self-explanatory word in essence, but,” Alex cajoled.

“They can do, that,” Thalia waved at the book. “She could ask me for my bow and I’d hand it over, if she puts enough intent into her words she could ask a group of people to jump off a cliff and they would. Sorceresses can enchant their voices, much like Circe was doing to Percy, but some children of Aphrodite are born able to do it naturally, with less of a punch unless they work at it.”

“It’s an extremely rare gift though,” Annabeth was shaking her head. “It’s just as possible she’s a child of Hermes, she sounds like she can be very persuasive if she wants to. Her fake memories didn’t show her asking Jason to date her and him instantly agreeing.”

“I don’t think that’s much evidence,” Nico frowned. “We have no idea who put those false memories there, how much they’re aware of Piper’s parentage.”

It did always seem to circle back to that, though Jason wished it was a more linear circle with more answers than questions.

Piper waited. She was used to people calling her a liar, but when she looked up, Annabeth just nodded.

“Interesting. If your dad were the god, I’d say you’re a child of Hermes, god of thieves. He can be pretty convincing. But your dad is mortal…”

“Very,” Piper agreed.

Annabeth shook her head, apparently mystified. “I don’t know, then. With luck, your mom will claim you tonight.”

It made sense enough Annabeth wouldn’t give Piper false hope about some super rare awesome gift and go with her gut, but Will still made a face she didn’t even test the waters of the idea Piper could have two dads. It was a topic he’d tackle with her another time.

Piper almost hoped it wouldn’t happen. If her mom were a goddess, would she know about that dream? Would she know what Piper had been asked to do? Piper wondered if Olympian gods ever blasted their kids with lightning for being evil, or grounded them in the Underworld.

That got a good laugh out of all of them, though Nico’s was a tad sour just because that last one was true, but only for him. Annabeth wished she’d asked, she could have given her the empty comfort that gods didn’t interfere so directly with their kids lives.

Annabeth was studying her. Piper decided she was going to have to be careful what she said from now on. Annabeth was obviously pretty smart. If anyone could figure out Piper’s secret …

“Come on,” Annabeth said at last. “There’s something else I need to check.”

They hiked a little farther until they reached a cave near the top of the hill. Bones and old swords littered the ground. Torches flanked the entrance, which was covered in a velvet curtain embroidered with snakes. It looked like the set for some kind of twisted puppet show.

Rachel’s digs, Alex quickly grasped, and by the look on his face, he obviously approved. Magnus had to agree. Bones and stabby things on the path aside, (because gods forbid anybody in that camp have a normal aesthetic!) he knew they’d put her up in a nice place with velvet everything instead of a smelly tiny hole.

“What’s in there?” Piper asked.

Annabeth poked her head inside, then sighed and closed the curtains. “Nothing, right now. A friend’s place. I’ve been expecting her for a few days, but so far, nothing.”

“Did we delay her trip?” Percy asked apologetically.

“Possibly,” Thalia nodded, or more Oceanus had by bringing in the wrong girl again, but there was nothing to help that now.

“Your friend lives in a cave?”

Annabeth almost managed a smile. “Actually, her family has a luxury condo in Queens, and she goes to a finishing school in Connecticut. But when she’s here at camp, yeah, she lives in the cave. She’s our oracle, tells the future. I was hoping she could help me—”

“Find Percy,” Piper guessed.

All the energy drained out of Annabeth, like she’d been holding it together for as long as she could. She sat down on a rock, and her expression was so full of pain, Piper felt like a voyeur.

Percy pulled her as tight into his side as he could and she was already there, pressing every part of herself into him she could. She wanted to be hateful and angry that this would have gone on until gods didn’t even know when if she wasn’t in here, to dig and keep digging into this puzzle with no interruptions or distractions to stop all this, but the relief was too strong to have him here. Making silly faces and observations only he could about this road they were being dragged down.

She forced herself to look away. Her eyes drifted to the crest of the hill, where a single pine tree dominated the skyline. Something glittered in its lowest branch—like a fuzzy gold bath mat. No … not a bath mat. It was a sheep’s fleece.

Okay, Piper thought. Greek camp. They’ve got a replica of the Golden Fleece.

“Replica,” Percy echoed with a laugh. He wished it had been as easy as going down to the mall and getting sprayed with perfume to rescue Grover and grab that thing in the same aisle with a golden chalice and ariadne’s string on the next shelf.

“I’m impressed she knew what it was. That’s not a popular myth to the average person,” Annabeth said, putting more force into her voice than was really needed, but she was genuinely impressed…and a little leery of why.

Then she noticed the base of the tree. At first she thought it was wrapped in a pile of massive purple cables. But the cables had reptilian scales, clawed feet, and a snakelike head with yellow eyes and smoking nostrils.

“Oh good, Peleus is still alive and kicking,” Magnus tried to say like somebody hadn’t just reminded him there was a dragon around for anybody to mistake for a pile of pool noodles.

“They’re immortal,” Percy reminded cheerfully, as if giving Magnus the best of news. The smirk on his face meant he knew full well Magnus would not take it that way. “He’ll be there as long as that Fleece is, you know, forever!”

“Great-” Magnus stopped there because his voice cracked and he slumped into his seat so he could stop pretending he wasn’t about to start trembling. Will gave him a commiserating nod of understanding at least. One chore he’d blatantly refused to do was feed him, that dragon looked too much like a snake with extra pointy bits for Will to ever be comfortable around him.

“That’s—a dragon,” she stammered. “That’s the actual Golden Fleece?”

Annabeth nodded, but it was clear she wasn’t really listening. Her shoulders drooped. She rubbed her face and took a shaky breath. “Sorry. A little tired.”

“You look ready to drop,” Piper said. “How long have you been searching for your boyfriend?”

“Three days, six hours, and about twelve minutes.”

Annabeth still clenched her jaw so hard Percy felt the tension and fought back the urge to draw Riptide. He knew that kind of anger could make a god cower, and they would be if she hadn’t already promised Oceanus help instead.

“And you’ve got no idea what happened to him?”

Annabeth shook her head miserably. “We were so excited because we both started winter break early. We met up at camp on Tuesday, figured we had three weeks together. It was going to be great. Then after the campfire, he—he kissed me good night, went back to his cabin, and in the morning, he was gone. We searched the whole camp. We contacted his mom. We’ve tried to reach him every way we know how. Nothing. He just disappeared.”

Percy had never really wanted details of her desperate search, but the way she’d appeared in here would haunt him for the rest of his life. After two days, she was only just beginning to look like herself again, color in her cheeks, the cracks in her eyes from a week of sleepless searching starting to ebb just the slightest. He kissed her temple, his lips lingered there as he took a ragged breath. He loved her so much, and he was sorry he hadn’t been able to tell her that the moment she’d appeared and attack kissed him. The way she sighed in relief and leaned into him the only answer he needed.

Piper was thinking: Three days ago. The same night she had her dream.

Jason twitched like a fly had landed on his nose. Nico tried for a smile, but it quickly fell flat. Jason’s goofy, repetitive joke of always noting when that number showed up was not the slightest bit funny anymore.

“How long were you guys together?”

“Since August,” Annabeth said. “August eighteenth.”

“Almost exactly when I met Jason,” Piper said. “But we’ve only been together a few weeks.”

Annabeth wrinkled her nose up like an aged pug, and Percy felt an unpleasant gut feeling for the same reason. “Why would her fake memories be that specific?” He asked, already guessing the answer was going to be the usual, no clue.

“I don’t know, but I don’t like it,” Thalia agreed. It was so entirely unpleasant to realize, repeatedly, Jason had been alive on the same continent as her all this time. Obviously not at some school for troubled youths, but the idea that all this had been orchestrated while they were in the middle of defending Olympus sat unwell in here. Like none of it mattered, like the gods were already gearing up and preparing these poor kids for the next thing. Setting them aside in the back corner to be sprung at their convenience.

Annabeth winced. “Piper, about that. Maybe you should sit down.”

“That poor girl is about to have her legs knocked out from under her, thanks,” Jason agreed, tapping his coin on his knee in agitation. He knew in his head it wasn’t his fault someone had done this to her, to both of them, but he still felt responsible for her now the same as he did Leo.

“I’d say any time, but I’m really hoping this doesn't turn into a recurring event!” Annabeth groaned.

Piper knew where this was going. Panic started building inside her, like her lungs were filling with water. “Look, I know Jason thought—he thought he just appeared at our school today. But that’s not true. I’ve known him for four months.”

“Piper,” Annabeth said sadly. “It’s the Mist.”

“Missed … what?”

Will had to enunciate that very clearly for them to get the joke, and Alex was always ready to deliver. “Missed Percy’s birthday, and she should be very sorry!”

“I’ll accept a card from her with cash, apparently she can afford to pay for late taxes,” Percy snorted.

“M-i-s-t. It’s a kind of veil separating the mortal world from the magic world. Mortal minds—they can’t process strange stuff like gods and monsters, so the Mist bends reality. It makes mortals see things in a way they can understand —like their eyes might just skip over this valley completely, or they might look at that dragon and see a pile of cables.”

Piper swallowed. “No. You said it yourself I’m not a regular mortal. I’m a demigod.”

“Even demigods can be affected. I’ve seen it lots of times. Monsters infiltrate some place like a school, pass themselves off as human, and everyone thinks they remember that person. They believe he’s always been around. The Mist can change memories, even create memories of things that never happened—”

“But Jason’s not a monster!” Piper insisted. “He’s a human guy, or demigod, or whatever you want to call him. My memories aren’t fake. They’re so real. The time we set Coach Hedge’s pants on fire.

That at least was a nice, fresh burst of laughter that nobody thought twice about feeling guilty over, and it had been far too long since they’d felt that. Jason tried to babble something about lies and besmirching his reputation, but they knew it was in vain. He wasn’t all the good golden child of perfect humbleness, they’d seen hints enough of that when Percy and Thalia riled him up.

The time Jason and I watched a meteor shower on the dorm roof and I finally got the stupid guy to kiss me...”

But their amusement drained just as fast as Jason flinched again, covering his mouth like someone was about to lunge at his lips. Why would a god do that to him! Why couldn't the god have just made him friends with Piper and Leo, why’d they have to implant this, this crush in their heads! It felt creepy and invasive the longer he thought about it! “Is this why I can’t remember a single damn person from my own past!” His voice sounded more ravaged with anger and frustration every time he kept asking a question he knew he wouldn’t get an answer to. “This, Mist memory with Piper just, blocked it all out!” But he didn’t have those, he’d woken up with nothing! So his brain was just an empty bowl instead!

Thalia put her arm gently around him, and he didn’t brush her off, so she left it there for a few moments.

She found herself rambling, telling Annabeth about her whole semester at Wilderness School. She’d liked Jason from the first week they’d met. He was so nice to her, and so patient, he could even put up with hyperactive Leo and his stupid jokes. He’d accepted her for herself and didn’t judge her because of the stupid things she’d done. They’d spent hours talking, looking at the stars, and eventually—finally—holding hands. All that couldn’t be fake.

Jason bit back a sob. The worst part of himself, the part of his mind that had been sitting in the dark for nearly a week hearing Percy’s rich life, envied this girl’s fake memories, that he hadn’t gotten those too. Even if they weren’t real. He was so tired of having nothing to cling to, even this fake paradise would have been a balm on his mind.

But that only would have cracked, and left him with an even bigger identity crisis. He knew that. It would have been like accepting a gift from a monster, all the strings attached were there to pull the rug out from under him.

Annabeth pursed her lips. “Piper, your memories are a lot sharper than most. I’ll admit that, and I don’t know why that is. But if you know him so well—”

“I do!”

“Then where is he from?”

Piper felt like she’d been hit between the eyes. “He must have told me, but—”

“Did you ever notice his tattoo before today? Did he ever tell you anything about his parents, or his friends, or his last school?”

“I—I don’t know, but—”

“Piper, what’s his last name?”

Her mind went blank. She didn’t know Jason’s last name. How could that be?

She started to cry.

Jason’s weary, crooked smile felt mean, but he couldn’t help it. He felt like crying himself. He sat torn between the rotten wish of fake answers Piper would have been supplied with or wrapping her in a hug and promising he knew exactly how she felt. Neither was doing either of them any good at present.

He had his sister though, and friends. It was going to be a long, miserable path he’d be taking barefoot with jagged rocks and thumbtacks and lava every other step, but he’d figure out how to get to the end with them.

She felt like a total fool, but she sat down on the rock next to Annabeth and just fell to pieces. It was too much. Did everything that was good in her stupid, miserable life have to be taken away?

Yes, the dream had told her. Yes, unless you do exactly what we say.

“Hey,” Annabeth said. “We’ll figure it out. Jason’s here now. Who knows? Maybe it’ll work out with you guys for real.”

Jason sighed and flopped in his seat, that feeling of misery curling up to get nice and comfortable. He wasn’t even sure he’d want that if Piper were in here, it would just be a connection that had no meaning outside this room. He was Roman and at the wrong camp, his life was going to be complicated enough with his sister being Greek!

A selfish part of him was glad she wasn’t here all of a sudden, so he wouldn’t have to constantly see the reminder on her face he wanted to go backwards, though he knew that was a terrible thing to think because gods knew where she actually was.

Not likely, Piper thought. Not if the dream had told her the truth. But she couldn’t say that.

She brushed a tear from her cheek. “You brought me up here so no one would see me blubbering, huh?”

Magnus laughed in surprise, but Annabeth grinned and didn’t deny it. She knew the main reason she’d singled out Piper had been to talk to her about Jason’s mystery past while Chiron dealt with him directly, but this was a kindness she was happy to provide while doing so.

Annabeth shrugged. “I figured it would be hard for you. I know what it’s like to lose your boyfriend.”

Annabeth twisted her fingers together painfully to stop them flinging around Percy’s neck and never, ever letting go. If this is what was happening to Jason…

“But I still can’t believe … I know we had something. And now it’s just gone, like he doesn’t even recognize me. If he really did just show up today, then why? How’d he get there? Why can’t he remember anything?”

“Good questions,” Annabeth said. “Hopefully Chiron can figure that out. But for now, we need to get you settled. You ready to go back down?”

Piper gazed at the crazy assortment of cabins in the valley.

Her new home, a family who supposedly understood her—but soon they’d be just another bunch of people she’d disappointed, just another place she’d been kicked out of.

You’ll betray them for us, the voice had warned. Or you’ll lose everything.

Annabeth’s eyes burned with unshed tears for this future. She’d already lost everything out there. Even if Piper had confessed all of this to her, she’d be no help to the girl. They had no way of knowing who this voice was or what they wanted, and as was their usual track record, very likely wouldn’t understand until it was nearly too late.

And Percy wasn’t around to help her over that hurdle for the win.

She didn’t have a choice.

“Yeah,” she lied. “I’m ready.”

On the central green, a group of campers was playing basketball. They were incredible shots. Nothing bounced off the rim. Three-pointers went in automatically.

“Apollo’s cabin,” Annabeth explained. “Bunch of showoffs with missile weapons—arrows, basketballs.”

“Don’t ever give Will a tennis ball,” Percy agreed as he rubbed the side of his head. “Mrs. O’Leary will never forgive him any more than I do.”

Will’s face was a mask of innocence as he said, “you can’t prove the wind didn’t catch it!”

“My dog nearly bit off my head, and I apologized for knocking over that skeleton!” Percy huffed.

“It was an antique,” Will shrugged, “and an heirloom from Asclepius. I still haven’t found several chunks of the skull!”

The others were snickering lightly under their banter, enough so that when Will turned poshly back to the book Annabeth’s face had smoothed back to its usual calm under Percy’s arm.

They walked past a central fire pit, where two guys were hacking at each other with swords.

“Real blades?” Piper noted. “Isn’t that dangerous?”

“Nothing can be to dangerous when you have a medic around,” Percy shrugged.

“You will not go spreading that around!” Will looked at him in horror for all the new kids running at each other with swords.

“Fine. Don’t say I never tried to give you practice dummies though,” Percy said.

“You’re the dummy in this situation Perce,” Thalia snorted.

“I never denied that, Will could probably get an MD from treating me alone if he didn’t have ambrosia,” Percy agreed.

“That’s sort of the point,” Annabeth said. “Uh, sorry. Bad pun.

“Why would you ever apologize for a pun, bad or otherwise?” Alex demanded.

“Because some people have a good sense of humor,” Annabeth smirked.

Alex gasped as if he’d been stabbed and Annabeth laughed without remorse to be holding the blade.

That’s my cabin over there. Number Six.” She nodded to a gray building with a carved owl over the door. Through the open doorway, Piper could see bookshelves, weapon displays, and one of those computerized SMART Boards they have in classrooms. Two girls were drawing a map that looked like a battle diagram.

“Speaking of blades,” Annabeth said, “come here.”

She led Piper around the side of the cabin, to a big metal shed that looked like it was meant for gardening tools.

“Nobody took me on this part of the tour,” Nico said in a wounded voice that was mostly joking, but not really.

“The price of admission is Annabeth has to make you cry first apparently,” Jason snorted. “You don't hear me or Leo in there.”

“I had to find out about this place on accident,” Percy agreed with big pouty lips at her.

“You came in with a magic weapon, who would be crazy enough to arm you double?” Anneabth demanded, resisting the urge to kiss him at the end with godly self restraint.

Annabeth unlocked it, and inside were not gardening tools, unless you wanted to make war on your tomato plants.

“Don’t tempt Mr. D.,” Will sighed. He’d be drinking virgin bloody mary’s every other meal and stain his lips read and it just would not be pretty.

“Or the satyrs,” Percy agreed. They were way to proud of those strawberries and had grown bias.

The shed was lined with all sorts of weapons—from swords to spears to clubs like Coach Hedge’s.

“Every demigod needs a weapon,” Annabeth said. “Hephaestus makes the best, but we have a pretty good selection, too. Athena’s all about strategy—matching the right weapon to the right person. Let’s see …”

Piper didn’t feel much like shopping for deadly objects, but she knew Annabeth was trying to do something nice for her.

“You really should have showed her the dummies first, that would have put her in the right mood,” Thalia agreed she’d missed a step. Target practice and striving to be the next to hack the most heads off was a great motivator.

“I should have shown her Hera’s cabin, that would put anybody in the right mood,” Annabeth scowled.

Annabeth handed her a massive sword, which Piper could hardly lift.

“No,” they both said at once.

Annabeth rummaged a little farther in the shed and brought out something else.

“A shotgun?” Piper asked.

“Mossberg 500.” Annabeth checked the pump action like it was no big deal. “Don’t worry. It doesn’t hurt humans. It’s modified to shoot Celestial bronze, so it only kills monsters.”

“Um, I don’t think that’s my style,” Piper said.

“A pity,” Will snorted. He loved going in and oiling the guns personally, though he rarely got a chance to use them. His cabin preferred arrows for their range of enchanted capabilities so he never even got to borrow one from siblings, but he still had a few John Wayne movies in his head when he held them and imagined monsters with red bandanas covering their mouths.

“Maybe you could show me,” Nico offered, he’d never held a gun and hated the sudden feeling he had that if someone got his sword away he’d have to resort to raw power that drained him. He could use a backup weapon.

Will’s delighted grin promised it was going to be a trade worthy of the Mythomagic knowledge he’d been receiving.

“Mmm, yeah,” Annabeth agreed. “Too flashy.”

She put the shotgun back and started poking through a rack of crossbows when something in the corner of the shed caught Piper’s eye.

“What is that?” she said. “A knife?”

Annabeth dug it out and blew the dust off the scabbard. It looked like it hadn’t seen the light of day in centuries.

“I don’t know, Piper.” Annabeth sounded uneasy. “I don’t think you want this one. Swords are usually better.”

“You don’t put cursed stuff in there do you?” Magnus asked uneasily, hoping she wasn’t being called to by some possessed knife that would make her never hit her target or something.

“Those stay in the attic,” Annabeth promised, but then she hesitated, and couldn’t bring herself to lie to him. He’d be living there soon too. “Sometimes accidents happen, new kids show up with stuff they shouldn't. You shouldn't go in there alone until you know what you’re doing.”

“Oh trust me, you can skip this part of the tour for me,” Magnus promised, already resound to the fact he’d be making an F in that monster class.

“You use a knife.” Piper pointed to the one strapped to Annabeth’s belt.

“I think someone has an admirer,” Alex chuckled.

“Piper’s turning out better by the second, I’ll be happy to have her around,” Percy obviously agreed there was no one better to be like.

Annabeth blushed faintly and rolled her eyes at the two, but smiling all the same. She was used to her siblings looking up to her while crouching to be at her eye level, but it was still nice to hear of it continuing to happen.

“Yeah, but …” Annabeth shrugged. “Well, take a look if you want.”

The sheath was worn black leather, bound in bronze. Nothing fancy, nothing flashy. The polished wood handle fit beautifully in Piper’s hand. When she unsheathed it, she found a triangular blade eighteen inches long—bronze gleaming like it had been polished yesterday. The edges were deadly sharp.

Her reflection in the blade caught her by surprise. She looked older, more serious, not as scared as she felt.

“Lots of people do when they have a deadly weapon in their hands,” Alex grinned, though he looked far from innocent on a good day. When he got too bored and pulled his garret out and wound it through his fingers, he looked like a cat curled up, and ready to pounce at a moment's notice.

“It suits you,” Annabeth admitted. “That kind of blade is called a parazonium. It was mostly ceremonial, carried by high ranking officers in the Greek armies. It showed you were a person of power and wealth, but in a fight, it could protect you just fine.”

“I like it,” Piper said. “Why didn’t you think it was right?”

Annabeth exhaled. “That blade has a long story. Most people would be afraid to claim it. Its first owner … well, things didn’t turn out too well for her.

“Piper and I could be blade buddies,” Percy chuckled.

“You’ve got to stop going around starting all these clubs Percy, we’re going to run out of space in camp for these meetings eventually,” Annabeth giggled.

“I refuse,” he sniffed, “we need more support groups! Have no fears though, you’ll always be there to make sure we don’t go crazy at the podium!” He gave her a gallant smile that only made her laugh harder, and wash away the stinging reminder it could have held why she’d be there herself. He’d seen the ghost in her eyes as she’d pulled her knife from the ashes where Luke had dropped it and tucked it away on Olympus.

Her name was Helen.”

Piper let that sink in. “Wait, you mean the Helen? Helen of Troy?”

Annabeth nodded.

Suddenly Piper felt like she should be handling the dagger with surgical gloves. “And it’s just sitting in your toolshed?”

“What am I missing?” Magnus asked with the kind of dread meaning he knew he didn’t want the answer.

“Um, she was a queen, her abduction was a chasm-” Percy began ticking off like a dreaded pop quiz, but he butted in first in hopes to get the important stuff to appease him before anybody else like Thalia wanting to go off about that story, or Nico saying how he’d met her ghost.

“Cataclysm,” Annabeth reminded.

“Cataclysm of the Trojan War, she had a daughter named Hermione,” Percy paused and watched Alex and Magnus startle in surprise as he knew they would, the nerds. He went back to looking at the fingers he’d been ticking off and frowned. “Crap, I’m coming up blank, I know I listed five on that stupid test with more details.” He tapped his foot for a moment before he said, “oh, the Simpson guy depicted her as regretful for all the chaos she caused but most others claim, something about Dionysus,” he sighed in frustration and looked at Annabeth.

“Homer,” she corrected, “and you know this, her death…”

“They threw stones at her,” he knew that wasn’t right, but it was as close as he was getting.

“Stoned her, and not the way we mean it today,” she agreed.

“I’m not hearing why that made Piper freak out about it,” Magnus admitted.

“Piper seems very caught up on her Greek mythology, it’s a long sordid story with not a lot of pleasantries mixed in, and don’t get me started on Paris,” Annabeth summarized with interest.

Percy figured it would come up and bite Piper in the ass as usual no matter what Helen did or didn’t do, so he was very relieved when Will went on rather than letting his girlfriend give Magnus the whole chapter he’d skimmed. “Hey, weren’t there two dudes involved who also tried to kidnap Persephone?” He asked as he looked around at Nico. “Why did so many people want her?”

“Got me,” Nico shrugged.

“Just let it go Perce,” Magnus finally chuckled. “I assure you, I don’t need the myths to know when to run, or when Annabeth tells me to do this plan. She’ll just hand me the thing and we might all survive.”

“Works for me,” Percy agreed.

“We’re surrounded by Ancient Greek stuff,” Annabeth said. “This isn’t a museum. Weapons like that—they’re meant to be used. They’re our heritage as demigods. That was a wedding present from Menelaus, Helen’s first husband. She named the dagger Katoptris.”

“Meaning?”

“Mirror,” Annabeth said. “Looking glass. Probably because that’s the only thing Helen used it for. I don’t think it’s ever seen a battle.”

“Not a fan I see,” Alex snorted. “I’m guessing you skip right past the tragic romance section.”

“I don’t read for fun,” she said. Alex clearly looked at her like she was nuts, but he didn’t need a lecture on the difference between studying and entertainment when you could mix them as he turned away.

Piper looked at the blade again. For a moment, her own image stared up at her, but then the reflection changed. She saw flames, and a grotesque face like something carved from bedrock. She heard the same laughter as in her dream. She saw her dad in chains, tied to a post in front of a roaring bonfire.

She dropped the blade.

“Talk about your waking nightmare,” Will managed with a thudding heart. Gods, this poor girl. If Jason and Percy were being used as pawns because of their dads, then Piper was just a discarded piece before the game even began in this giant mess.

“I almost hope you take that knife back away from her,” Magnus agreed in pure dread. The last thing they needed was more chances to see different ways of the torture going on!

“But she won’t,” Thalia said grimly. Annabeth wasn’t the coddling, dotting kind of girl who would shield Piper from this harsh look into her future. She’d try and help her figure out what it meant, even if it didn’t involve Percy somehow.

“I won’t,” Annabeth agreed, wishing she could give her cousin an answer he’d want to hear at least once. ‘Mirror’ indeed. She’d looked into that blade twice just to study it when she had the history book open, but she’d never seen any such thing. Her books and Deaduls himself had suggested a few options for how Helen had stayed informed of the war through her tower, and here a theory was finally confirmed. She should have been ecstatic. Instead, she was all the more confused. It couldn't be possible Piper was a child of Zeus too and that was what activated it for this new girl…

“Piper?” Annabeth shouted to the Apollo kids on the court, “Medic! I need some help over here!”

“No, it’s—it’s okay,” Piper managed.

“You sure?”

“Yeah. I just …” She had to control herself. With trembling fingers, she picked up the dagger. “I just got overwhelmed. So much happening today. But … I want to keep the dagger, if that’s okay.”

Jason whistled in deep appreciation of this girl. Whatever mess he was going to get into, he was more grateful by the word she’d be there with him. Piper had looked into the face of danger and picked that dagger back up without hesitation. She’d stab him in the back with it to save her dad or ask him for help, and at least now he’d be ready for either with complete understanding.

Annabeth hesitated. Then she waved off the Apollo kids.

“Okay, if you’re sure. You turned really pale, there. I thought you were having a seizure or something.”

“I’m fine,” Piper promised, though her heart was still racing.

“In other words, she’s your definition of fine,” Percy told his girlfriend accusingly.

“Meaning I have better cause than most to understand how fine she is,” Annabeth sniffed.

“Is there … um, a phone at camp? Can I call my dad?”

Annabeth’s gray eyes were almost as unnerving as the dagger blade. She seemed to be calculating a million possibilities, trying to read Piper’s thoughts.

It was hard to pin exactly what she got out of all that. Annabeth’s mind could be as chaotic as Percy’s when it came to her ideas, theories, and strategies.

Percy at least comforted himself that if he was there, he’d be just as confused anyways.

“We aren’t allowed phones,” she said. “Most demigods, if they use a cell phone, it’s like sending up a signal, letting monsters know where you are.

Alex made a deep throated noise of disbelief, half convinced Chiron had made up that rule just to have a blanket ban of them at Camp, but he couldn’t prove it until he got out of here. And actually got his own cell phone.

But … I’ve got one.” She slipped it out of her pocket. “Kind of against the rules, but if it can be our secret …”

Piper took it gratefully, trying not to let her hands shake. She stepped away from Annabeth and turned to face the commons area.

She called her dad’s private line, even though she knew what would happen. Voice mail. She’d been trying for three days, ever since the dream.

Percy’s heart went out to her with every word. He’d wanted so badly to believe the delusion it had all been a bad dream too, but he’d never woken up from this new world. He just hoped she’d be able to get real friends in Jason, not this fake memory crap that had been forced on her. He already knew Jason would help her without hesitation as Grover and Annabeth had once done for him.

Wilderness School only allowed phone privileges once a day, but she’d called every evening, and gotten nowhere.

Reluctantly she dialed the other number. Her dad’s personal assistant answered immediately. “Mr. McLean’s office.”

“McLean?” Percy said with interest, the name ringing some vague bell. Her dad was obviously rich and famous, that part wasn’t fake. “Do we know that name?” He asked Annabeth, that annoying feeling he’d thought he was done living through clearly had never left his brain, but a plague he’d lived with all his life he couldn’t really blame on a god. Hadn’t they sat around laughing at that for some reason?

She shrugged, thinking she’d seen it on some movie poster or other when they went to the theater, but they were terrible about keeping up with the newest popular celebrity. They went for the fun thrill of fake action heroes living through the dramatic stories while eating candy, not who did what behind the actors faces.

“Jane,” Piper said, gritting her teeth. “Where’s my dad?”

Jane was silent for a moment, probably wondering if she could get away with hanging up.

“If she uses that going through a tunnel gig, I better hear some good fake static,” Alex sniffed.

“I’ll go crumple up a bag of chips right next to your ear just for you,” Will promised, always happy to help with production so long as Alex’s games only stayed in joking levels of violence.

“Piper, I thought you weren’t supposed to call from school.”

“Maybe I’m not at school,” Piper said. “Maybe I ran away to live among the woodland creatures.”

“She’s not entirely wrong,” Thalia snorted.

“Better than bragging she was abducted into a cult who already had her armed,” Nico grinned.

“Mmm.” Jane didn’t sound concerned. “Well, I’ll tell him you called.”

“Where is he?”

“Out.”

“You don’t know, do you?” Piper lowered her voice, hoping Annabeth was too nice to eavesdrop.

“She is not,” Annabeth shrugged.

“How could you accumulate wisdom if you don’t get it from the source?” Percy mock agreed.

“When are you going to call the police, Jane? He could be in trouble.”

“Piper, we are not going to turn this into a media circus. I’m sure he’s fine. He does take off occasionally. He always comes back.”

“He’s not a stray cat,” Will looked truly wounded for this poor girl’s fears being brushed off like this.

They’d all lived through the incessant problem of adults never taking them seriously and felt Piper’s fear and anguish deeply.

“So it’s true. You don’t know—”

“I have to go, Piper,” Jane snapped. “Enjoy school.”

The line went dead. Piper cursed. She walked back to Annabeth and handed her the phone.

“No luck?” Annabeth asked.

“Because people usually curse when there is good luck,” Magnus sighed.

“People who like to be creative and keep everyone else guessing,” but Alex just said that to make a quip.

Piper didn’t answer. She didn’t trust herself not to start crying again.

Annabeth glanced at the phone display and hesitated. “Your last name is McLean? Sorry, it’s not my business. But that sounds really familiar.”

“Common name.”

“Along with all the Jacksons and Cambells and Olyolyoxnfree’s out there,” Percy shook his head. Piper was never going to wiggle out from underneath Annabeth’s questions if she was going to try playing dumb.

“Yeah, I guess. What does your dad do?”

“He’s got a degree in the arts,” Piper said automatically. “He’s a Cherokee artist.”

Her standard response. Not a lie, just not the whole truth. Most people, when they heard that, figured her dad sold Indian souvenirs at a roadside stand on a reservation.

“Huh,” they all muttered. It didn’t seem to track with the joke Leo had made and the media circus his disappearance would cause if he was just popular in a niche community. More likely that was just the job Piper wanted her dad to have.

Sitting Bull bobble-heads, wampum necklaces, Big Chief tablets—that kind of thing.

“What’s a wampum?” Percy asked. It sounded like something that would be adorable while trying to kill him for a change.

“Kind of similar to pooka necklaces,” Alex eagerly answered, and Percy immediately regretted this. Alex very well could be about to con him into putting on a deer skin dress and moccasins if he wasn’t careful. “Jewelry that’s adorned with shells, to be specific. I’ve looked into their designs and rituals, but a lot of customs go into that I wouldn’t try to replicate, I just think they’re neat!”

“Cool,” Percy said honestly. He wondered how that related to shark teeth necklaces, he could make a hundred with ease if he wanted to.

“Oh.” Annabeth didn’t look convinced, but she put the phone away. “You feeling okay? Want to keep going?”

Piper fastened her new dagger to her belt and promised herself that later, when she was alone, she’d figure out how it worked.

“The strap to the dagger, or the dagger itself?” Magnus asked in sympathy.

“Well I can help her with the latter, you stick them with the pointy end,” Percy smirked.

“Cannot wait to watch you train the swords class,” Jason snorted.

“Sure,” she said. “I want to see everything.”

All the cabins were cool, but none of them struck Piper as hers. No burning signs—wombats or otherwise—appeared over her head.

“Well this is just building up to be as dramatic as possible,” Will chuckled.

“She might be the child of some minor goddess who doesn't even have a cabin built yet at this rate,” Nico agreed in sympathy for her.

Cabin Eight was entirely silver and glowed like moonlight.

“Artemis?” Piper guessed.

“You know Greek mythology,” Annabeth said.

“I did some reading when my dad was working on a project last year.”

“I thought he did Cherokee art.”

Piper bit back a curse. “Oh, right. But—you know, he does other stuff too.”

Piper thought she’d blown it: McLean, Greek mythology. Thankfully, Annabeth didn’t seem to make the connection.

This was growing weirder by the moment. How was her dad related to Greek mythology, and famous, and they hadn’t heard of this guy?!

“Anyway,” Annabeth continued, “Artemis is goddess of the moon, goddess of hunting. But no campers. Artemis was an eternal maiden, so she doesn’t have any kids.”

“Oh.” That kind of bummed Piper out. She’d always liked the stories of Artemis, and figured she would make a cool mom.

“She makes a great big sister no matter the parentage though,” Thalia promised, her voice nothing but fond assurance. She already knew she’d be happy to have Piper join if she wanted.

“Well, there are the Hunters of Artemis,” Annabeth amended. “They visit sometimes. They’re not the children of Artemis, but they’re her handmaidens—

“Not my choice of word!” Thalia huffed at her sister, everybody instantly knowing this was a long running argument. “We don’t sew up her dresses and empty her chamber pots!”

“It’s the traditional word,” Annabeth insisted, a tease in her voice.

“It’s also traditional to throw other maidens into the ocean if they displease their elder sisters!” Thalia huffed.

“What an interesting story I haven’t come across, glad that tradition has faded,” Annabeth chuckled.

this band of immortal teenage girls who adventure together and hunt monsters and stuff.”

Piper perked up. “That sounds cool. They get to be immortal?”

“Unless they die in combat, or break their vows. Did I mention they have to swear off boys? No dating—ever. For eternity.”

“Oh,” Piper said. “Never mind.”

Thalia laughed and nodded that did tend to turn away most recruits. She’d been happy enough it was true. They said that the longer the heart was absent of something, the harder it became to feel that again.

She knew that wasn’t true though. Her fierce love for her brother had only grown more palpable with his absence as she’d unwillingly been trying to find him again in Percy and even Luke all these years, neither to real success.

She hoped Artemis would understand. She desperately hoped her patron wouldn’t shun her…

Annabeth laughed. For a moment she looked almost happy, and Piper thought she’d be a cool friend to hang out with in better times.

Annabeth smiled in surprise. There was something she rarely heard. She was the girl she expected people to come to with their problems, not just to hang out. Percy had been a strange exception.

Forget it, Piper reminded herself. You’re not going to make any friends here. Not once they find out.

Annabeth sighed. It figured. The girl who decided she might be good friends with, wanted to burn down her camp and possibly the world too. Seemed those were the only friend’s she’d make outside of Percy.

They passed the next cabin, Number Ten, which was decorated like a Barbie house with lace curtains, a pink door, and potted carnations in the windows. They walked by the doorway, and the smell of perfume almost made Piper gag. “Gah, is that where supermodels go to die?”

“Oooh, I’m stealing that one,” Thalia laughed in delight.

“I’m worried Drew might consider that some kind of compliment,” Will frowned.

Thalia scowled and clearly began work shopping the insult with great scorn so that wouldn’t be possible.

Annabeth smirked. “Aphrodite’s cabin. Goddess of love. Drew is the head counselor.”

“Figures,” Piper grumbled.

“They’re not all bad,” Annabeth said. “The last head counselor we had was great.”

“What happened to her?”

Annabeth’s expression darkened. “We should keep moving.”

There was a collective wince around the room. Yeah, not easy to explain, and not a happy ending even if Piper did have sympathy for why Silena had done it.

They looked at the other cabins, but Piper just got more depressed. She wondered if she could be the daughter of Demeter, the farming goddess. Then again, Piper killed every plant she ever touched.

“So do I, maybe she’s a long lost sister of mine,” Nico smirked.

“Eh, I don’t think it exempts her, maybe she just specializes in something specific, like she’ll be great at creating new environmentally healthy pesticides,” Will chuckled.

“Or maybe she’ll trade in that dagger for a scythe at some point,” Jason agreed, “and just be really good at flinging dirt at people.”

Athena was cool. Or maybe Hecate, the magic goddess. But it didn’t really matter. Even here, where everyone was supposed to find a lost parent, she knew she would still end up the unwanted kid.

Everybody felt that way, often times even after they knew who their godly parent was if they couldn’t find an easy way to make a connection to them through their realm. It was a miserable feeling they had no way to tell Piper she wasn’t alone in.

For all they knew, they were hearing of the next Luke simmering in their camp if she was truly set on this path.

She was not looking forward to the campfire tonight.

“But, s’mores!” Will said aghast.

He got a few small laughs, but they were starting to feel more on edge the longer this dragged on. They’d thought they were going to be here for Jason. This strange girls life was giving them anxiety, reinforcing more with every word they had no clue what was coming.

“We started with the twelve Olympian gods,” Annabeth explained. “Male gods on the left, female on the right. Then last year, we added a whole bunch of new cabins for the other gods who didn’t have thrones on Olympus—Hecate, Hades, Iris—”

“What are the two big ones at the end?” Piper asked.

Annabeth frowned. “Zeus and Hera. King and queen of the gods.”

Piper headed that way, and Annabeth followed, though she didn’t act very excited.

“Of course not, she doesn't have a bucket of eggs ready,” Alex smirked.

“Let alone toilet paper,” Percy chuckled, while the others paled in considerable fear at the vain hope these two were just kidding.

The Zeus cabin reminded Piper of a bank. It was white marble with big columns out front and polished bronze doors emblazoned with lightning bolts.

Hera’s cabin was smaller but done in the same style, except the doors were carved with peacock feather designs, shimmering in different colors.

“A shame her cabin sounds so pretty, I’d almost hate to throw excess chicken at it,” Alex huffed.

“Almost,” Percy rolled his eyes. He’d stoop to cow dung if he could get away with it.

Unlike the other cabins, which were all noisy and open and full of activity, the Zeus and Hera cabins looked closed and silent.

“Are they empty?” Piper asked.

Annabeth nodded. “Zeus went a long time without having any children. Well, mostly. Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades, the eldest brothers among the gods—they’re called the Big Three. Their kids are really powerful, really dangerous. For the last seventy years or so, they tried to avoid having demigod children.”

“Tried to avoid it?”

“Sometimes they … um, cheated. I’ve got a friend, Thalia Grace, who’s the daughter of Zeus. But she gave up camp life and became a Hunter of Artemis. My boyfriend, Percy, he’s a son of Poseidon. And there’s a kid who shows up sometimes, Nico—son of Hades.

The three almost wanted to laugh, but it wasn’t happening. Summed up like that almost made it sound like none of them were destined to be there, even though Thalia and Nico did so by choice.

Except for them, there are no demigod children of the Big Three gods. At least, not that we know of.”

“That you know of,” Jason echoed with interest. He was still trying to reconcile the whole Zeus/ Jupiter thing in his head. He’d been wondering constantly in the back of his mind if he might even have more half-siblings at his Camp, but somehow he knew that wasn’t right. Children of the Big Three, as everybody in here called them, felt as much a rare oddity to him as they would at Camp Half-Blood. It wasn’t a great feeling to be so universally an exception.

Annabeth laughed in awkward agreement, but the look of heartbreak on Thalia’s face left room for little else.

“And Hera?” Piper looked at the peacock-decorated doors. The cabin bothered her, though she wasn’t sure why.

“Anybody who looks at it too long starts feeling residual shame and guilt for their many sins,” Nico mocked.

“If you start lecturing us on Catholic Guilt I’ll throw a cross at you,” Percy promised, even if he was pretty sure Nico was being serious. He’d easily believe that was one of Hera’s talents, she liked throwing the blame off herself whenever she could after all.

“I might risk it just to prove to you I’m not a vampire,” Nico rolled his eyes.

“Goddess of marriage.” Annabeth’s tone was carefully controlled, like she was trying to avoid cursing.

“Haven’t got to hear that,” Alex said with interest, dual eyes on Annabeth as if already assessing how much pushing it would take to get her there.

“You don’t want to,” Percy promised, and Alex nodded and agreed to let it go for now.

“She doesn’t have kids with anyone but Zeus. So, yeah, no demigods. The cabin’s just honorary.”

Magnus knew it was an unpopular opinion, but he still felt kind of bad for her. She could at least start her own club or something like Artemis to make some connection to the kids down there, otherwise nobody would ever have reason to remember her for anything other than Zeus’s cranky wife.

Jason was more than happy with Hera keeping to herself wherever she was the rest of the year though. He had a nasty feeling as he rubbed absently at his tattoo that even with good intentions, her stepping in didn’t always turn out well.

“You don’t like her,” Piper noticed.

“We have a long history,” Annabeth admitted. “I thought we’d made peace, but when Percy disappeared … I got this weird dream vision from her.”

“Telling you to come get us,” Piper said. “But you thought Percy would be there.”

“It’s probably better I don’t talk about it,” Annabeth said. “I’ve got nothing good to say about Hera right now.”

Still all to true, but Annabeth was looking between Jason and Percy now with a sense of having wool over her eyes. She’d been too angry by being sent on a wild goose chase to put it together before, but there was no way Hera would send that kind of vision if she didn’t have something planned. Hera would never care if a son of Zeus lived or died, why send her after him? She was missing something, and as her hand held tight to Percy’s, she had a nasty feeling where this was headed.

Piper looked down at the base of the doors. “So who goes in here?”

“No one. The cabin is just honorary, like I said. No one goes in.”

“Someone does.” Piper pointed at a footprint on the dusty threshold.

“Nobody even goes in there to clean it?” Magnus asked blankly.

“Are you volunteering?” Percy snorted.

“No,” he agreed.

On instinct, she pushed the doors and they swung open easily.

Annabeth stepped back. “Um, Piper, I don’t think we should—”

“We’re supposed to do dangerous stuff, right?” And Piper walked inside.

There was at least good hearted laughter around the room from that, Annabeth’s sounding particularly fond. This girl was either very brave, or very stupid ignoring Annabeth hesitating over something and charging in like this.

But there was an uneasy feeling in the room all the same. An unreasonable instinct of their home being invaded, again, with Jason there amongst their cabins while Percy was off with the unknown. Changes and questions now lingered in every page of this as Piper once again flushed out like startled birds, another oddity in a place it shouldn’t be of their home.

Hera’s cabin was not someplace Piper would want to live. It was as cold as a freezer, with a circle of white columns around a central statue of the goddess, ten feet tall, seated on a throne in flowing golden robes. Piper had always thought of Greek statues as white with blank eyes, but this one was brightly painted so it looked almost human—except huge. Hera’s piercing eyes seemed to follow Piper.

At the goddess’s feet, a fire burned in a bronze brazier.

Piper wondered who tended it if the cabin was always empty.

A stone hawk sat on Hera’s shoulder, and in her hand was a staff topped with a lotus flower. The goddess’s hair was done in black plaits. Her face smiled, but the eyes were cold and calculating, as if she were saying: Mother knows best. Now don’t cross me or I will have to step on you.

An expression any of the gods could make and it wouldn’t feel out of place, but there was something about the way Will read it, as stiff and unfriendly as any of them would have, that really reinforced it.

There was nothing else in the cabin—no beds, no furniture, no bathroom, no windows, nothing that anyone could actually use to live. For a goddess of home and marriage, Hera’s place reminded Piper of a tomb.

Magnus only winced again at Will reading that as if he couldn’t fathom her deserving anything else, like it only backed up this idea that her bad attempts to help Percy by throwing Nico aside were just as hollow. Magnus’s eyes darted uncomfortably away, and saw Jason muttering to himself though, tapping on his knee with a far away look on his eye. He’d never liked the idea of God, let alone multiple of them, and he sure didn't plan on offering up any of is food into the fire if he actually could stay there for a time, but he still felt like he had an idea of how Hera probably never felt like she fit in and all this was doing nothing to help. It would probably just piss her off if someone offered redecorating options. Still, it was one of those Greek tragedies that made all this feel a little too poignant to not be the sick of joke of these so called Fates. The marriage goddess trapped in a loveless marriage.

But it suddenly wouldn't surprise him to see soon enough Jason dumping some of his food into the brazier with her name. Magnus clearly wasn’t alone in at least having some mixed feelings on the issue.

No, this wasn’t her mom. At least Piper was sure of that.

She hadn’t come in here because she felt a good connection, but because her sense of dread was stronger here. Her dream —that horrible ultimatum she’d been handed—had something to do with this cabin.

“Why does that not surprise me?” Thaila said acidly. Percy would not be surprised if she risked it all and in fact notched an acid arrow just for this goddess if they ever had the misfortune to run across her again.

She froze. They weren’t alone. Behind the statue, at a little altar in the back, stood a figure covered in a black shawl. Only her hands were visible, palms up. She seemed to be chanting something like a spell or a prayer.

Annabeth gasped. “Rachel?”

The other girl turned. She dropped her shawl, revealing a mane of curly red hair and a freckled face that didn’t go with the seriousness of the cabin or the black shawl at all. She looked about seventeen, a totally normal teen in a green blouse and tattered jeans covered with marker doodles.

Percy felt a deep pang in his heart as he sank in his seat with shame. He didn’t bother to ask, he knew Rachel wasn’t safe at camp doing this now, because she’d been trapped in here when this was supposed to be happening!

“I know,” Annabeth murmured to him. The most frustrating part of all this was knowing that even when they finished these, they’d still have an endless list of priorities to sort out, starting with where Hearth and Rachel had vanished to in that mad Titan’s delirium of face blindness.

Despite the cold floor, she was barefoot.

“Hey!” She ran to give Annabeth a hug. “I’m so sorry! I came as fast as I could.”

They talked for a few minutes about Annabeth’s boyfriend and how there was no news, et cetera, until finally Annabeth remembered Piper, who was standing there feeling uncomfortable.

Thalia was in no good mood herself, but they’d all been sitting in tense silence for far too long now and she always knew of an easy way to alleviate that even a small bit. “Well at least she’s not like some people who would have butted in by now and probably tipped the fire over asking ten dumb questions.”

Percy grinned. “Only ten? Thalia, that’s nothing!”

Will was more than happy to sit back and let the two antagonize each other half the day if he could, but Annabeth clearly wasn’t going to have that as she threatened to tie them together and throw them in a corner before Percy got past his third stupid question.

“I’m being rude,” Annabeth apologized. “Rachel, this is Piper, one of the half-bloods we rescued today. Piper, this is Rachel Elizabeth Dare, our oracle.”

“I hope you’re not the one to introduce her to everyone,” Alex sniffed. “Apollo did a much better job of all her titles and full name.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment, he’s hardly a god I strive to emulate,” Annabeth shrugged.

“The friend who lives in the cave,” Piper guessed.

“See, that’s a proper introduction and should be added to the list,” Alex chuckled.

“Her titles take any longer to announce and we’ll all die of boredom before we hear another prophecy,” but Percy almost made that sound like a good thing.

Rachel grinned. “That’s me.”

“So you’re an oracle?” Piper asked. “You can tell the future?”

“More like the future mugs me from time to time,” Rachel said. “I speak prophecies. The oracle’s spirit kind of hijacks me every once in a while and speaks important stuff that doesn’t make any sense to anybody. But yeah, the prophecies tell the future.”

Alex and Magnus grimaced in particular disgust for that description, but Jason decided not to let the moment pass without any fun since they were a bit on a roll. “The Oracle Mugs Rachel, how’s that for a grand, mysterious chapter title.”

“I like it,” Alex nodded, “but it won’t count unless Rachel actually gets mugged.”

Percy at least wished they’d use a better word, but considering Will was holding proof Rachel probably wouldn’t object, he didn’t bother.

“Oh.” Piper shifted from foot to foot. “That’s cool.”

Rachel laughed. “Don’t worry. Everybody finds it a little creepy. Even me. But usually I’m harmless.”

“Usually?” Percy laughed. She was one of the most dangerous girls Percy knew with her shrewd eyes that nothing got past, and that was saying a lot.

“Harmless,” Annabeth agreed with an eye roll. The girl had a history of nearly ruining her life before they’d made peace.

“You’re a demigod?”

“Nope,” Rachel said. “Just mortal.”

“Then what are you …” Piper waved her hand around the room.

Rachel’s smile faded. She glanced at Annabeth, then back at Piper. “Just a hunch. Something about this cabin and Percy’s disappearance. They’re connected somehow.

Thalia and Annabeth exchanged grim looks, their worst fears all but confirmed. They trusted Rachel’s hunches.

Which meant Hera was going to suffer for this.

I’ve learned to follow my hunches, especially the last month, since the gods went silent.”

“Went silent?” Piper asked.

It almost would have been funny. The gods were never exactly talkative on the best days. Will almost smiled, to imagine his blabbermouth of a dad with his mouth sealed shut with cement…but the idea instantly lost whatever amusement it had because nobody could do that to one of the Olympians. They were doing it to their children by choice, for a historically bad reason, if they were piecing this together right.

Rachel frowned at Annabeth. “You haven’t told her yet?”

“I was getting to that,” Annabeth said. “Piper, for the last month … well, it’s normal for the gods not to talk to their children very much, but usually we can count on some messages now and then. Some of us can even visit Olympus. I spent practically all semester at the Empire State Building.”

“Excuse me?”

“The entrance to Mount Olympus these days.”

“Oh,” Piper said. “Sure, why not?”

“Appropriate reaction, she’s a fast learner,” Magnus sighed. He was about at that phase too. Hera could show up in person and start handing out ceramic mugs and at this point they’d all just roll with it. This couldn’t get any crazier!

“Annabeth was redesigning Olympus after it was damaged in the Titan War,” Rachel explained. “She’s an amazing architect. You should see the salad bar—”

“Anyway,” Annabeth said,

“Wow, now we know this is an important update!” Percy agreed seriously.

“Starting about a month ago, Olympus fell silent. The entrance closed, and no one could get in. Nobody knows why. It’s like the gods have sealed themselves off. Even my mom won’t answer my prayers, and our camp director, Dionysus, was recalled.”

“Your camp director was the god of … wine?”

“Yeah, it’s a—”

“Long story,” Piper guessed. “Right. Go on.”

“Very fast learner,” Annabeth nodded in approval.

“I mean, out of context, it does sound wild someone has the god of alcohol staying at the camp with teenagers,” Alex chuckled.

“With context it’s just obnoxious,” Percy huffed.

“That’s it, really,” Annabeth said. “Demigods still get claimed, but nothing else. No messages. No visits. No sign the gods are even listening. It’s like something has happened —something really bad. Then Percy disappeared.”

“And Jason showed up on our field trip,” Piper supplied.

“With no memory.”

“Who’s Jason?” Rachel asked.

“My—” Piper stopped herself before she could say “boyfriend,” but the effort made her chest hurt. “My friend. But Annabeth, you said Hera sent you a dream vision.”

“Right,” Annabeth said. “The first communication from a god in a month, and it’s Hera, the least helpful goddess, and she contacts me, her least favorite demigod. She tells me I’ll find out what happened to Percy if I go to the Grand Canyon skywalk and look for a guy with one shoe. Instead, I found you guys, and the guy with one shoe is Jason. It doesn’t make sense.”

“Not making any more sense from this end,” Annabeth sounded more disturbed the more questions piled up around them. And the few answers they had scraped together only felt more foreboding the longer they lingered in here with access to the outside world.

“Something bad is happening,” Rachel agreed. She looked at Piper, and Piper felt an overwhelming desire to tell them about her dream, to confess that she knew what was happening—at least part of the story. And the bad stuff was only beginning.

“Guys,” she said. “I—I need to—”

Before she could continue, Rachel’s body stiffened. Her eyes began to glow with a greenish light, and she grabbed Piper by the shoulders.

“Oof,” Alex and Jason winced at their bad joke making an actual comeback like this.

Jason felt an extra stab of concern. She was getting the quest?! He’d go with her and help all he could of course, but his presence in this camp grew more confusing by the moment if he wasn’t even meant to be of any importance. At this rate, Piper was going to have Annabeth and Rachel go out and find her dad with her.

Piper tried to back away, but Rachel’s hands were like steel clamps.

Free me, she said. But it wasn’t Rachel’s voice. It sounded like an older woman, speaking from somewhere far away, down a long, echoing pipe. Free me, Piper McLean, or the earth shall swallow us. It must be by the solstice.

The room started spinning. Annabeth tried to separate Piper from Rachel, but it was no use. Green smoke enveloped them, and Piper was no longer sure if she was awake or dreaming. The giant statue of the goddess seemed to rise from its throne. It leaned over Piper, its eyes boring into her.

The statue’s mouth opened, its breath like horribly thick perfume. It spoke in the same echoing voice: Our enemies stir. The fiery one is only the first. Bow to his will, and their king shall rise, dooming us all. FREE ME!

Piper’s knees buckled, and everything went black.

Will’s voice was choked with confusion by the end, staring blankly at the words he’d just said as if waiting for them to rearrange themselves into an order that actually made sense.

That was not a prophecy?! “Guys, I don’t think it was the Oracle that hijacked Rachel this time-”

There was a blinding, bright flash of light like a nuclear bomb had just been dropped in the middle of the room.

Will hadn’t even come close to blinking the sunspots out of his eyes when he heard a stranger's voice that warmed him to the bone all the same from hearing it half his life in his dreams.

“It was Hera.”

…”Dad?”

PJOHOOPJOHOOPJOHOO

Yeah, about those changes I mentioned coming up…. :)

The fic will ‘divert’ from here; I will be posting a separate story altogether about some shenanigans that will ensue before the actual reading of the books continues, it’s sitting at about ten chapters right now. The first of which is up right now, entitled How Do You Triple The Gods. I will be posting again Christmas then onto the usual Mondays. If however you just want to patiently wait for the actual book reading to continue with no context for some changes that will be happening, I will shortly return to this fic on a date sometime soon, with chapter V LEO! Until then, do enjoy!

#pjo #Percy Jackson #hoo #Thalia Grace #Jason Grace #Annabeth Chase #percabeth #magnus chase #grace siblings #alex fierro #fierrochase #will solace #nico di angelo #solangelo

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imjustforthefandoms · 9 months ago

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TWSTOBER DAY 7: Jack Howl

Jack lets out a soft huff under his breath during P.E. Even during independent workouts, he just couldn’t take his eyes off of Epel. Every time he came up from a push-up he caught another glimpse. The toned muscles beneath the pale skin, the determination that never left his face. There was a thin line between cute and Hot, and Epel was walking it like a trained Trapezist. Watching him push himself like that, constantly pushing his limits further and further. It entranced him like a moth to a flame.

“What’s got you all riled up, Jacky?” The sudden voice snapped Jack out of his stupor, standing up from his position and looking towards the voice, being met with the purple eyes of Oswald.

“Huh, What are you talking about? I'm just getting my reps in.” Jack replied, crossing his arms. The silver-haired boy shook his head with a soft hum.

“So you doing reps makes your tail turn into a wind turbine?” Oswald asked, a knowing smirk on his lips. Jack grits his teeth, a touch of red coming to his cheeks. Damn his tail at times…

“I know that look better than I know my dice. And you’ve gotta sweet treat on your mind. Question is, which of those little bugs caught you in their web?” Jack shook his head, letting out a soft grunt.

“Why would it matter to you?” he asked, looking away from the man in front of him. It's not like he wanted to ask Epel out. Or that he would like to do a workout with the first year. Or that maybe he would like to watch him carve apples in his free time.

“I just want to help you. A second year aiding his lowerclassmen in his free time. My dorm is known for it's benevolence after all. And I’d bet my hand that you can turn this web into your own trap if you wanted to.” Oswald let out a chuckle, a smirk on his lips. Jack let out a growl, baring his fangs.

“I don’t want it to be a trap. It should be natural…” Jack's eyes fell to the ground, his voice a bit quieter. “I want it to be natural. Just like…Wolves forming a pack together. Mutual respect.”

“Well then i’d be happy to give advice. I’ll admit, i was a bit popular with the ladies back where I’m from. But I can’t help if I don’t know a name.” Oswald looks over the P.E. class with a soft hum. “Doubt it would be Spade or Diamond. And i doubt you’d be that nervous over Asim…”His eyes go wide for a moment, looking at Jack with an almost teasing smile.“You like the Felmir boy don’t you?” Jack’s eyes went wide, biting his lip as a soft tint came to his cheeks. Oswald let out an almost sinister chuckle, “Nature’s candy is your little treat ain’t it?”

“Stop saying things like that!” Jack growled, his tail swishing behind him like an angry whip.”I don;t need your help, and i didn’t ask for it either!” Oswald let out a sigh as he calmed down.

“Alright alright. If you don’t want my help, then you won’t get it. But id rather not leave you high and dry” Oswald said, before the two of them heard the bell for dismissal. “Oh, and there’s the bell. I’ll leave you with this. Have fun with it. Make it a joke. The less serious you act, the more into it he’ll be.” And with that, Oswald made his way inside to change out of his P.E. clothes. Jack stood there for a moment, letting out a sigh. A joke…his feeling weren’t a joke. Why would he need to act like a joke?! He looked over at Epel, wiping the sweat from his brow before he took a sip of water. He works so hard, and yet his smile is so bright. So warm…like warm apple cider. He took a breath. Oswald would probably know a bit more and Jack really didn’t know where else to start… Jack gave a nod to himself, he had to start somewhere.

He’ll give it a shot.

#twisted wonderland #twstober #twst oc #Oswald boogie #epel felmier #jack howl

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north-blue-hearts · 2 years ago

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Family Practice

CisFem Reader x Trafalgar Law

CW: sex, language, violence

Summary: Modern Mafia-coded AU starts in last semester of College

Chapter 7: Twist

The next couple of days you returned to the manor with Law. He and Pops talked for hours at a time, and you were the only one that dared to interrupt them with drinks or reminders of the time. It left you with plenty of time to visit with your brothers, and while Luffy was sad that Law was busy every time he came over, even your selfish little brother knew better.

Ace, Sabo and Luffy were playing a racing game in the living room while you, Marco and Thatch were tidying up after lunch in the kitchen.

“Really seems like he really is, doesn’t it?” Thatch prompts and you and Marco nod.

“I saw the picture yesterday morning.” You admit drying a plat and handing it off to Thatch, “His dad certainly took after the mother instead of Pops, but the resemblance is uncanny.”

“I wonder what they’re talking about, yoi.”

You snort. “So even you get curious.” You grin, teasing him a little. “I imagine they’re talking about the past. There was a whole side to his dad he didn’t know about, and I’m sure Pops also wants to be able to do as much as he can. I doubt Law will join the Family though.”

“Oh?” Thatch’s brows raise. “Straight arrow then?”

“Eh, I wouldn’t go that far. But he wants to be a doctor, he’s almost there, and the next step is opening his own clinic. Doesn’t really line up, y’know?”

“Well, hopefully he’ll let us at least help get the clinic up and rolling, yoi.” Marco says, finishing up the dishes and draining the sink. “You like him, and that’s worth more’n the blood in my opinion.”

Thatch raises an eyebrow after a moment. “Hmm.”

You can feel his eyes on you as you turn your back to the sink and keep an eye on the boys in the living room. “I can smell the gears in your head overheating, Thatch.”

“I just expected you to smack Marco,” He imitates a higher voice, “Oh I don’t like him like that!”

Despite yourself you grunt a laugh. “I’m not a teenager anymore, give me some credit.”

“Then… you do? You know, like that.”

“I mean, I wouldn’t turn him down.”

“But?”

“He’s in the last year of his doctorate. His stress has stress. I dragged him off campus in the hopes he’d at least sleep. Instead, who knows what this has done. Nothing bad, as far as I can tell, but… I don’t know. I had a plan.” You laugh a little and shrug. “I don’t know, maybe I’ll…” Your laughter fades as you realize that Law will likely start his clinic wherever Rosinante is. Some city, or some nation, far from the Metro. “Maybe I won’t think about it for now.”

“… woof.” Thatch ruffles your hair, but there’s a comfort to it. “He’s not from the Metro.”

“He’s not.”

“Chances are his clinic won’t be here either.”

“…”

“It’s a hard call either way, but if you decide to leave us over some tattooed emo doctor, we’d forgive you, yoi.” Marco assures you, and his choice of words at least makes you laugh.

“You guys know I can’t leave the Metro.” You say as your laughter fades. “Think about what Pops went through just so I could attend college outside of it.”

“I think you’d be surprised how much the underground would move if you decided to leave the Metro.” Thatch admits. “I mean, we say it as a joke, but half of the guests that showed up for Christmas would go to war if something happened to you. It’s that damned aura of yours.”

“So, you say,” you grin.

“Traffy!” You heard Luffy yell and leap out of his seat on the couch, practically launching himself off of Ace. There was swearing from Ace, laughter from Sabo and a wrecking sound from the game that lifted your spirits before you walked out of the Kitchen.

Law had adapted to Luffy’s admiration of him quickly. He managed to side step the initial lunge at him and was holding the youth at a decent distance.

“Stay a little longer and play with us, there’s room for one more in the game!” Luffy offers excitedly. He’s already trying to stretch enough to get a better grip before Law can shake him off again.

Law looks over at you and you shrug with a small smile. “We have to head back tomorrow by lunch time, so there’s no rush for today.”

There’s a defeated sigh that comes from Law as he stops trying to hold Luffy at bay. “Alright, Mugiwara-ya.”

Luffy drags Law into the living room, and a small squabble breaks out between Luffy and Ace over the younger’s earlier use of Ace as a springboard. Law starts up a new race while they’re still squabbling and Sabo laughs before catching your gaze and giving you a thumbs up before going back to the race.

“For better or worse, seems he’s already been adopted.” Thatch admits.

“I haven’t seen Luffy latch onto anyone like except you,” Marco adds.

“Haa… yeah, I,” you thought you had a better hold on your feelings and suddenly were feeling overwhelmed. “I’m going to step outside for a bit.”

“Ah, (Y/N), I didn’t-.”

“S’alright, I’ll be back.” You wave dismissively as you cut Marco off and head outside.

The cold air felt good against your face and after you got far enough away from the front door you let yourself just bawl. You weren’t even entirely sure why you needed to cry, but there was a strange relief from doing so, so you just let it happen. You couldn’t pinpoint what was causing it, but your mind wandered over a lot of things that caused more tears to overflow.

You didn’t have anything against crying, so it wasn’t like you had been holding in tears for years or anything equally silly, but your heart hurt. Like someone had reached in and just squeezed it.

After Duval you hadn’t let anyone who wasn’t already a friend or family member get too close. That wall had probably prompted Brownie to spike your drink even though the two of you were barely even officially dating. That event caused you to have to take someone’s life to protect your own, and after that you had practically sworn off all manner of letting new people in, friend or otherwise.

You had only helped Law because you didn’t want Nutmeg to turn desperate like Brownie had.

And now, here you were. Neck-deep in feelings for a guy who you probably weren’t going to see again after graduating. Sure, you’d call and chat or text and keep in touch, but you already had odd jobs lined up, and he was going to be opening his own business. Daily texts would become weekly, then monthly, then eventually you’d get a new phone and decide to clean up your contacts and his name would slide off with a dozen other numbers you hadn’t heard from in over a year.

Your tears had stopped as your mind had wandered and chuckled at yourself. Cold and jaded and not even old yet.

With a final sigh you head back in, taking a minute to pat snow on your face and cover up the traces of your outburst a little before heading back in. Pops was waiting for you when you came back in and the hug he gave you almost made you cry again, but he didn’t say anything and neither did you.

The afternoon rolled into evening, and after dinner Marco took the two of you back to your hotel. The car ride was quiet. Marco didn’t prompt anything, and both you and Law seemed to have something on your minds, because you were both staring out a window watching the world go by as your thoughts swirled.

Going from the hotel to the morning, back to campus by evening, the last 24 hours almost seemed to have gotten away from you. It wasn’t until you were at your apartment door, having been escorted by Law, that his hand on your arm pulled you into being completely aware of the world around you.

His fingers were hot on your arm, which was unusual – the few times you and he had any contact he always felt cooler than he should feel. Right now the tips of his fingers seemed to burn into your skin, or at least they were warm enough to pull you back into reality, out the haze of your own scrambled thoughts.

“(Y/N)-ya.” Law’s voice snapped you out of your focus on the feel of his hand on your arm. “You’ve been out of it for hours, are you okay?”

“Huh? I… yeah. Yeah, I guess my mind just wandered off and I didn’t realize. Sorry.” You apologize, and then laugh a little. “It’s a good thing you were around, I could’ve wandered onto the plane. I… don’t really even remember the flight. Wow, I was really zoned out.” Realization sinks in and you feel fully embarrassed. “I… can’t think of the last time I spaced out that bad, I’m sorry I must’ve been a handful.”

There’s a slight smile on Law’s face and he shakes his head. “Not really.” He lets go of your arm and his fingers slip across yours as he steps back. “I was going to ask if I could come in to talk about some stuff, but you should probably get some rest.”

“Ah, no, I mean, come in. The least I can do is listen to what you need to talk about after you basically babysat me all day.” You assure him, unlocking the door and stepping in. You made a face, reminded that your apartment was still done up in reminder of your lost bet.

“Besides, I didn’t realize how hungry I was, so I can order something.” You add, nodding toward the hallway. “Come on, you know the hookah vibe’s drawing you in.”

You catch the slight smile and grunt of a chuckle as Law follows you in. You don’t get far from the door after taking your shoes off and stepping up into the apartment when Law grabs your arm again. Stepped up from the entryway you’re closer to being at eye level with him.

“I have to say something now, before I can stay, because what I say might cause you to ask me to leave.” He says, and his bright golden eyes are holding your gaze. You can feel the heat rising in your face, and you’re having enough of an off day that you can’t think of some sort of snappy retort to break the building emotion.

You didn’t know what he was going to say, but some small part of you was worried that after three days of being around a Mafia family he had realized it wasn’t something he could handle. Something he didn’t want. Something that would hold him back, and you didn’t have a defense against that.

Even the best of relationships had splintered for far less.

“(Y/N)-ya. I want to kiss you.”

What.

“… huh?” You were certain you had heard him incorrectly.

“Even if it’s just once,” He continues, his voice less sure than before, his hand tugging you closer just a little. “I can leave if I’ve made you uncomfortable.”

You step forward, you mind is spinning, but you’re keeping up. “You don’t have to leave, I mean, I’m not uncomfortable, and… y-you can… but,” you let him pull you closer, the small smile playing on his lips catching your attention before you look back into his eyes. “why?”

“Why do you think, (Y/N)-ya.” Law’s fingers slip along your cheek before his hand goes into your hair, just under your ear, tilting your head a little as he pulls you in. You can’t think of an answer in your boggled state, but he doesn’t give you time enough to answer even if you could.

His lips press against yours and your eyes close as the soft pressure spreads a gentle pleasure through you. His other hand is around your waist, pulling you closer as your hands mirror his. One threading through his hair, the other holding onto his side. The soft kiss was enough of a rush, little lines of electricity stealing your breath, and you both lean back to catch your breath.

Law’s face is flushed, and he looks rattled, covering his mouth for a moment. “Sorry, I didn’t expect such a rush.”

“Did I take your first kiss, Pre-Med?” You muse, trying to mask your own reaction with a smirk.

“First one that ever felt like that,” He admits, kicking off his boots, and stepping up into the hall. You step to the side to give him room but not wanting to step away and feel the wall behind you. The brief ratted look is gone, and bright yellow-gold eyes are holding you in a sharp gaze. “Again.”

It’s not a request, more of a warning as he pulls you into another kiss. There’s another electric rush, a pleasure that floods down to your chest as your lips part and his tongue pushes into your mouth. You barely realize the moan that’s filled your chest until his hands flex against you pulling you even closer.

The statement that had started this had caught you off guard, but the passion coming from the usually cool and stoic soon-to-be-doctor was even more surprising. He had never talked about any past relationships, but to be fair, you hadn’t ever asked either.

The heat and taste of the kiss are making your head spin, and there’s brief moments of air before the kisses resume, but you’re not sure who leans into who after a while. You can only think that you want more, that the delightful sensation that keeps skipping through your heart is addicting and kissing hadn’t ever felt quite so good. It was almost scary to realize that you’d follow this sensation out of the Metro and into the desert if those golden eyes asked you to.

By the time you both stop you’re breathing heavy, your face is hot and you’re barely keeping your feet under you. Law’s breath is heavy too, and even though he’s turned away a bit you can see the red in his ears.

“Holy shit,” you huff, walking by him and going into the kitchen. You get a glass of water and down it in one go. “You want something?”

“I mean -.”

“TO DRINK – To drink, Pre-Med.” You interrupt almost laughing.

“Water’s fine.” You can hear the smile in his voice and hand over the glass you had emptied and refilled.

“I’ll, uh, make some tea, after… after I order some food.” You explain. You can feel your face heating up all over again, so you turn to the sink to get another glass and have another drink. There’s a soft clink of glass against the countertop and you realize that Law’s standing behind you.

There’s a tug that prompts you to turn toward him, so you set your still empty glass down and turn around. You aren’t sure what he’s going to do for a moment, until he lifts the glass and takes a sip before leaning down and kissing you. The extra bit of water feels like a flood you’re barely able to contain, cool against the hot kiss, and the small squeak of surprise is replaced by a moan as you’re holding onto the kitchen counter behind you to keep your feet.

Law’s hands are on the counter, caging you in place. You can feel his eyes on you even if you can’t pull your gaze up from his lips. There’s a strange sensation as he swallows before breaking the kiss, wiping the back of his hand across his lips before taking a step back. You swallow as well, but it has almost nothing to do with the bits of water left in your mouth.

“I…”

“Sorry,” Law interrupts, running his thumb across your bottom lip lightly before taking a step or two back. “You were trying to cool off.”

“Was… yeah… am.” You manage the words, putting an arm out between the two of you. “We have to talk this out.”

“I agree.” The knowing grin on his face is almost too much. “I just needed to do that first.”

#Family Practice #trafalgar law #x reader #reader insert #mafia au

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thedeliverygod · 2 years ago

Text

Repostober: Day 19

Today's fic is a reincarnation fic so needless to say it's a bit sad but there's some lighthearted moments too. Because past my teenage angst stage, it's really hard for me to write anything that's 100% sad lol.

A New Start

“Hey, Hiyori.” He greeted weakly, coughing before he finished, “I told you I could do it.”

She threw off her jacket and scarf, pressing as much fabric as she could against his injuries. As the tears came to her eyes, she forced a smile, “I never doubted you could, Yato.”

He looked between her and Yukine, “What are all the sad faces for? I did it, I beat my dad!”

“Yeah, but you’re really hurt, stupid.” Yukine answered from his other side, looking to Hiyori, “And he probably shouldn’t even be talking, should he?”

She gently shook her head but Yato failed to notice.

“What, this? Just scratches. I’m a god, remember?” He gave a grin before falling into another coughing fit, “It does kind of hurt like a bitch, though.”

“You really should try and save your energy.” Hiyori pressed, her voice practically a whimper.

“I want to do something though,” He shakily raised a hand to her face, cupping her cheek, “Even if you think I’m joking or delirious.”

She swallowed, “…Okay.”

“I love you. Not just as a friend, I mean I’m in love with you. I have been for a while. I want go on dates and hold hands with you a-and kiss you.” He stuttered before his eyes flickered to Yukine, unable to see Hiyori’s tears double. “And Yukine. I love you like a son. I’m sorry I never managed to say it before. I just care about you so much that I never wanted to overstep and I wasn’t sure if that was something you actually wanted from me. You both mean everything to me.”

Hiyori couldn’t take it anymore and reached up one of her hands to cling onto his arm that was outstretched towards her face, sobbing harder, “I love you too.”

Yukine also grabbed tighter onto the fabric of Yato’s jersey, his head down, “Me too.”

Yato closed his eyes and smiled serenely, “I’m so happy.”

Shaking her head, Hiyori bent her head down and gently pressed her lips to his, “Please don’t leave us. There’s so much more I want to do with you. With all of us, together.”

He barely returned the kiss, but smiled more as he answered, “We’ll always be together, no matter what happens. You’ll never forget me, right?”

“I won’t! But… I want this you here with me.” She could feel his hand growing cold to her touch, so she kissed it as well.

“I want that too. But I dunno at this point. Guess it’s not looking too good.” He admitted with a small sigh.

Yukine gave a sharp inhale, “Don’t give up on yourself like that!”

“Believe me, I’m fighting.” He smiled back, “But I’m… also facing the facts here. Yukine, I know this isn’t what you want either. But if, you know… please try to love my new self just as much as you loved me, okay? I know it’ll be hard, but he’s gonna need you.”

Yukine wiped harshly at his eyes, muttering, “…Fine…”

“Hiyori…”

“Yato, I can’t… I can’t even think about it.” She answered tearfully.

“You don’t have to interact, just… promise me you’ll keep praying to the god named Yato? Even if… it’s not exactly your Yato.” He finally teared up a bit himself as he finished.

She threw her head back in frustration before agreeing, “I will. Of course.”

“Thank you.” He whispered.

All three started crying harder and Hiyori lifted Yato up so that she was holding him, and Yukine quickly embraced them as well. Their comforting words and last stolen kisses only lasted a few more moments before their visions were filled with red.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

“Kofuku-san?”

“You can just call me Kofuku, remember? And what is it Yato-chan?” The pink haired god tilted her head at the small boy.

“You’re a god too, right?” Yato looked up at her with bright blue eyes.

Kofuku smiled widely, “Of course.”

“Do your believers always seem sad?” He asked curiously.

Coughing and trying to deflect the question, she asked back, “What makes you say that?”

“Hiyori always seems really sad any time she sees me.” He looked down, twiddling his hands together in thought.

“Oooh, that’s what you’re worried about.” Kofuku hummed thoughtfully before suggesting, “You should try asking Yukki about that. He and Hiyorin are really good friends.”

“Okay!” Yato replied excitedly before scurrying off across the house to find the blonde. Finding him in the laundry room, he called out loudly, “Yukine!”

“What’s up? I’m kinda busy.” He answered back as he loaded the washer.

Huffing loudly, he declared, “I wanna talk about Hiyori!”

Yukine froze up and nearly dropped the clothes he was holding before he caught himself. Putting the last of the clothes in the washer, he stepped out and asked, “Oh yeah? What about her?”

“Why does she always seem so sad when she’s around me?” He put on a deep pout.

“Well, just like me… she knew your previous incarnation. Do you remember how emotional I was when I first met you? It’s kind of like that, but Hiyori’s taking a longer time to deal with her feelings. But she’s really trying, I promise.” Yukine gave him a gentle pat on the head.

Giving a thoughtful look, Yato asked, “Do you think she’ll feel better if I do something for her?”

Yukine’s eyes widened in shock as he thought of his master’s previous crazy ideas, “Um… Like what?”

“Um…” The little boy chewed on his lip before he answered, “Maybe I’ll pick some flowers for her? Do you think she’ll like that?”

Yukine let out a sigh of relief and nodded, “Yeah, I think she would.”

“Great!” Yato immediately took off for the backyard.

When Hiyori came over that afternoon, Yato was hiding behind Yukine’s legs.

“He, uh, has something for you.” Yukine laughed sheepishly.

Hiyori blinked in surprise before she knelt down to Yato’s level and asked in an intrigued voice, “Oh really? What is it?”

Peeking out from behind Yukine, Yato sheepishly held out the tiny handful of flowers of Hiyori while Yukine made a mental note to apologize to Daikoku for the god mauling his garden.

“They’re so beautiful.” She commented, but before she knew it, her lip was trembling and the tears were flowing down her cheeks.

Yato’s shoulders dropped in disappointment as he said, “I’m sorry. I wish I didn’t make you sad.”

Hiyori reached out to hug him tightly, her voice breaking, “These are happy tears, I promise. I do miss him a lot, but this is really sweet. Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome.” He gave a small smile and hugged her back with as much force as his small body could muster.

#noragami #yatori #Yukine and his parents #noragami squad #repostober #my writing

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uponrightful · 2 years ago

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helloooo i absolutely fell in love with your phantom squad ocs 🥺🥺🥺 if its still okay, would it be alright to ask you to write more for them? like how they'd act around the person they like and such, particularly for ghost or specter? these boys have a tight grip on my heart i swear

A/N: Since I'm trying to ease into things, I will work with the man who inspired Phantom Squad for me, and that's Specter. By the way, thank you for requesting in the first place!

T/W's: Female-coded reader, intimacy, Specter being a total walking red-flag, daddy issues, sexual themes… def not proofread.

Behind Closed Doors - Specter

Honestly, a lot of the time you're dating Specter he's going to be off somewhere unknown. But even if he's home, there's a really good chance you won't even realize he's there unless he wants you to know. This man is the embodiment of black smoke wafting around in the shadowed corners of your house, silently watching and listening to everything you do. Depending upon how long he's been away or what's really heavy on his mind, will determine just how long Specter waits before making his spectral appearance human. It could be coming back from a particularly harsh mission, either physical or emotional. No doubt Specter wouldn’t admit to feeling weak mentally, but you would be able to tell the moment that he makes himself visible to you.

Oftentimes, he gives you a start; either walking into your bedroom without announcing himself in the middle of the night or just slipping through a window you didn’t even know was unlocked. He comes up behind you to snake his arms around your waist or present you with a necklace coincidentally in the shape of his hand. He always wears his armor when coming in, and at first, that can be a little unsettling as well. But by the time you convince him to stay and settle in for a little while, he’ll oblige just enough to take off his plastoid. But he still prefers wearing a thin facemask that covers the bottom half of his face around your house and even when sleeping. Typically you’re the one who has to make subtle hints about what you’d like to do with him since he’ll almost act like a skittish, feral, animal you’ve trapped in your home. Of course, there are occasions when he’s bursting through the front door like a man on a mission, knowing exactly what he wants from you, and how he’s going to get it in multiple different ways.

Most of the time, he’s very quiet and all-around broody even if he’s in quite a good mood. Really he’s not meaning to act quite so irritable, but it comes down to how long he’s able to stay, what kind of state you’re in, and how long he’s been away. Whether he’d ever admit to it, he’s never happy about leaving you for more than a couple of weeks at a time. Personally, it just feels like an abandonment of his duties and responsibilities to you, and will always be extra quiet and standoffish when it’s been longer. Although if you’re new to the relationship you might think you’ve done something wrong, Specter is actually just punishing himself for not being around more and taking care of you like he believes he is supposed to. The longer you are around him, the more you’ll take notice of the small ways he denies himself access to you as punishment for things out of his control.

That typically means he won’t touch you for hours after returning home to you. Even if you’re expecting him, and have the chance to be waiting to hug him right as he enters the door, he won’t hug you back. The stubborn and impossible man will just stand there stiffly, his head and gaze held straight and staring ahead as if getting affection from you at all is something he’s not allowed to enjoy or admit to loving. You could kiss him, hug him, practically crawl all over him with excitement that he’s come back safe, and for the most part, in one piece, and he won’t allow you or himself a single moment of relief until he’s suitably punished himself or lost the will to due to how you look so utterly heartbroken that he won’t reciprocate right away.

This makes it more frustrating because of the type Specter has. Often the women he ends up being with are quite affectionate physically and would admit to touch being a -of not their most- significant love language. He's always gravitated towards the shy and somewhat submissive girls. The ones who aren’t exactly whiney, but would most definitely cry if they got yelled at. The Phantoms often make the joke that he likes women with daddy issues and joke that it’s a good thing he's willing -and enjoys- being called “daddy”. It’s not a jab they make often, for should he hear them, it would no doubt end in a fight that wouldn’t end until blood is drawn. That never meant that Specter would deny the accusation. He couldn’t deny the truth that he liked the really soft girls. Aside from the matter of him being the most fucked up and hardened bastard of his brothers.

Once his self-denial is over though, things will always start off slowly. His unconsciously habitual need to sit you on his lap and just look over you and touch you is the first thing he does. Whether on the couch, in a chair, on the edge of the bed… anywhere he can sit down and haul you onto his lap, he’s going to drop everything and do it.

"Come here, let me see my pretty little pet..."

You assume it’s due to the years of after-mission experiences with his brothers being hurt that he does it. Meticulously looking over your whole body, touching softly, noting any marks you might have -and he always notices- and clicking his tongue as if even the smallest scuff on your hand or leg is the worst of the galaxy’s offenses. You always feel very looked after during these moments though, feeling his hands and eyes scanning over you gently. Giving you the first real moment of closeness with him after weeks or months without hearing his voice or seeing his face. Even the pinches of his thigh plates against your skin don’t phase you or draw attention away from his careful and immensely serious inspection.

Sometimes, if you’re clever enough, or just downright persistent, you’ll be able to return the favor. Getting to see under his armor and blacks in clear light, looking over new and old scars and tattoos, making your own small sounds of disapproval when you find a particularly nasty gash or another injury that looks far too serious for his less-than-caring attitude. Much in the way of his other protective instincts towards you, he’s almost always going to hide away his injuries and work from you. He’s of the unchanging opinion that you’re too sweet and innocent to hear even a single thing about his dark and twisted life away from you, and he’s hellbent on keeping it that way. It wouldn’t matter if you traveled with them between planets with plenty of knowledge about weapons, protecting yourself, and other less than savory knowledge, spending your time sightseeing in the more touristy cities and lounging in his bunk; You wouldn’t know any more than he’d allow, and that meant almost nothing. He needed it that way, to ensure what little sliver of sanity he did possess, didn’t dissolve.

"It's nothin' little one, can't kill me that easy..."

Specter enjoys time behind closed doors with you, almost stalking you from up close. The smallest domestic things you do give him an almost sexually pleasing satisfaction that he’s never gotten from anyone else. You’re cooking dinner? He’s already thinking about how he can bend you over the kitchen table. Reading a book? The sick idea of making you read out loud while he’s between your legs making you scream, comes to mind. Laundry? Specter likes the idea of tying you up with that scrap of a t-shirt you’re attempting to fold. He's a twisted pervert half the time, and it's a miracle you've even able to extricate yourself from his grasp on days he's totally unable to control himself.

"You're playing with fire, pet."

"I'm... taking off my makeup?"

"Why don't you let me make a mess of it first?"

You’re just so sweet and little that it makes everything you do almost irresistibly attractive and cute. Not to mention just how excited you are about seeing him… It strokes his ego watching you squeal and grin so big, talking about how much you missed him and how worried you were that he wasn’t safe. You often remind him of a little kitten or puppy when you act like that; so much so he can practically imagine what you would look like with a tail wagging incessantly behind you. It’s why he enjoys calling you his pet so much, there’s just too much resemblance.

Quite often, you’ll find yourself putting off some task or activity you’d planned with him all because he’s got you curled up in his lap: petting you softly, rubbing your back, running his fingers through your hair, and acting as if there’s nothing he’d rather concern himself with doing. Specter will never admit to liking cuddling, but there’s no doubt he puts himself in very ‘cuddly’ positions consistently. And as long as you don’t call attention to it, he won’t ever stop. When he’s in a particularly good mood, he’ll talk to you about his ‘missions’, or more accurately, how his brothers are and some of the things he noticed that he felt like you’d be interested in hearing about. Personally, he thinks it’s all trivial, talking about the natives on planets and how they celebrate birthdays, Revenant running across a litter of homeless tookas and how he brought them to a family close by to take care of, or Ghost finding a small piece of a meteor and giving it to him to bring home to you. It’s all… useless, in the grand scheme of things.

But he can’t help but feel addicted to seeing how you lay your head in his lap and stare up at him with innocent, rapt, attention as he talks about whatever little things he think will interest you. Sure, he could leave it all unsaid and stop concerning himself with remembering to find things to tell you about, but that just doesn’t settle right with him. He’s going to always do everything he can to keep you away from his work and the risks of planet-hopping, but he wants to share some of it with you in a meaningful way. Especially when you bite your lip and grin really big when he complains about his brothers doing something stupid, and you don’t see it as annoying, but find it funny, and want to know about more occasions when they’ve done something similar or he’s acted in such a way. He finds it funny how you enjoy him. More than for what he can provide, or what his skills are. You just like to be near him, and it’s so strange considering other than his brothers, that no one else has ever felt that way.

So no matter how long he’s away or feels like he’s abandoned you, he keeps coming back in the middle of the night to see you. Silently begging for forgiveness for being so cruel and heartless, but unable to stay away from you like he knows damn well he should. He’ll spend his days doing a whole lot of nothing, eating home-cooked food, catching up on sleep when his body can’t take it anymore, finding ways to amuse himself by toying with you in every way he can think of late into the night, and putting all of your broken pieces together after he’s finished by turning on one of those shows you can’t ever stop re-watching, and holding you tight in his lap with his hands running over you, reminding himself that there’s a lot of useless things he does so habitually that they really can’t be considered useless if he does them for you.

#uponrightful #uponrightfulwrites #phantom squad #specter #anon <3 #oneshot

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finnuf · 2 years ago

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much has changed in the past year.

a year ago, finn was drowning in grief over the loss of etlia and all that came with it: his country, his peoples’ lives, his dignity as the future margrave lucinier.

he doesn’t really know how he’s gotten to this point now, where he’s faced much of his past and failures. he isn’t over it–– he knows he will never be over it ––but he is...better. after the last lotus festival, and the monster attacks throughout the continent, he returned to his homeland, not just to redeem himself, but to protect the people he failed to previously. he knew, even then, that he didn’t owe them any loyalty anymore. etlia no longer existed and he was no leader, and yet...there are still so many faces in former etlian territory that he knows.

he blames himself a little less now. well, maybe that’s not true, and he’s simply forgiven himself a little for all of his deadly mistakes. maybe he feels like he’s making it up to them by fighting and defending them now.

there’s more of a chance to now, with ganggyn declaring war on gleerium and crossing borders to attack the military capital of ouros, etlia’s neighbor that inflicted the most damage on them during the war of the states. there are new opportunities to fight for his people, and to seek revenge on gleerium for what they did to them, but...he hasn’t yet. he continued to fight monsters, even in the face of ganggyn troops pushing into soule and remilly, because this war is not his–– not yet.

it’s an opportunity, though, and leila knows it, too. leila, somehow, has always had more passion and hope to reclaim etlia for themselves, and it’s no different now than it always has been. he knows she likely has big dreams and lofty goals, and he’s open to hearing them and talking some sense into her so she doesn’t do anything too impulsive or dangerous.

he agreed to meet leila in ganggyn territory, at the inn that apparently took her in when they were displaced after their war. he hasn’t been before, and when he enters, he takes in his surroundings out of instinct, always prepared to use them to his advantage in case of an ambush of some sort. he doubts he has much to worry about in ganggyn’s capital, but with a new war overtaking deyuis, he can’t be sure, and the cautiousness is in his blood. he doesn’t know if he’s ever felt safe in his life, but leila seems to feel comfortable here, and that’s enough for him.

she assures him they won’t be overheard, and he nods, then takes a seat. he considers her mug of ale for a moment, then nods, and says, “sure,” though he’s trying not to drink as much these days. a little won’t hurt.

leila jumps right into the deep questions, never one to beat around the bush. he isn’t either. “ganggyn has pushed into lucinier territory. they’re starting to spread into astelle, last i knew. ouros has definitely seen better days. sablier, too. i think they pulled some of their troops out of former etlia territory to try to defend vessalius. there hasn’t been as much gleerian resistance in the west as you might think.”

as for signing on with ganggyn’s army, he shakes his head. “i’m still...assessing the situation, a bit.” he isn’t entirely sure of ganggyn’s motives. is misu truly just fighting this war out of rage, seeking to avenge her mother? finn can understand that much. if he had the power, he might’ve done the same a year ago. he can’t help but be skeptical, though. he has never known an instance without war. he has a hard time believing any foreign power in etlia is anything good. “i don’t really want to work for anyone else,” he admits, which is ironic, considering he’s a mercenary now. all he does these days is work for someone else to earn money. in the end, however, he can choose his own work, and while he will never side with gleerium...something is holding him back from pledging allegiance to ganggyn in their war efforts.

“well, i guess...i don’t want to fight anyone else’s war.” that’s more accurate, really. “i’m not sure if it’s ours yet.”

plotting and scheming ;

@finnuf

it's strange, being back here after so long. really it's only been about a year since leila left, but everything feels so different now. when she left last, she thought she was alone in the world, the last defender of her homeland on the run from tyranny and war. she was completely unsure of what to do, where to go, or how to move forward, and she had a vague idea of getting revenge on gleerium and freeing etlia, but no means of even coming up with a feasible plan to follow through on that.

now, she's reunited with finn, ganggyn has declared war on gleerium, and with the new war started, leila may finally have her opportunity to reclaim her homeland.

when finn walks in the door, leila waves at him from her table in the corner, and as he approaches she makes eye contact with cirenne behind the bar. the matron nods once -- she'll make sure their conversation isn't overheard. it's a relief, leila thinks, to be back around someone like cirenne, who leila knows has no other motivations than to keep her inn running and, in her words, to do the most right thing.

allowing a couple of mercenaries the privacy to plan an uprising may not seem like a good thing to do, but leila knows that cirenne hates gleerium as much as she does, and she's eager to see andreas's empire topple.

"we won't be overheard here," leila tells finn when he reaches her, though currently the taproom is abandoned aside from the two of them and cirenne. "there's nothing to worry about. do you want anything?"

she indicates her own mug of ale when she asks, lifting it slightly off the table. "the ale's not bad. how's the war effort? have you signed on with ganggyn's army yet?"

#ufleila #{ – thread – }#{ – plotting and scheming – }

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leoluved · 3 years ago

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“so if you don’t like them, then you won’t mind me asking them out then, right?” With Santi from Triple Frontier?

why would i? (s.g)

summary: you’re the youngest Miller, a baby girl. protected by your older brothers. your brothers’ lives finally intertwine with yours at your eldest brothers wedding when you meet their friends. warnings: timeline wise at the end its right before they leave, kind of slow burn, female reader, age gap (15 years), language, mentions of blood, violence, consumption of alcohol, some rando getting his shit rocked in word count: 4.6k

Ever since the moment you opened your little eyes. You were a princess, the baby, doted upon and spoiled endlessly. The Miller family weren’t expecting you. Especially not two teenage boys who had to fight the urge not to throw you like a football, most of the time.

They were only fifteen and thirteen. The appeal of a baby sister was lost the second they saw pink confetti at the gender reveal party. Over time, and with your parents' persuasion, no doubt. They started to warm up to the idea of a baby sister, someone to look over.

It gave new meaning once they both got to hold you in their arms. To watch you struggle to open your eyes. You were so small, so fragile. They loved you from that day on. Whatever you said, went. You got everything you wanted, but you were taught to be grateful, caring. In the short time you had with them, your brothers would follow your every beck and call. You were barely a toddler by the time Will was finishing high school. But you were always in attendance at all of his games, matches, club and school events. You always did assist in helping bring girls’ attention to him. He looked like a total sweetheart with you around.

Will was nineteen when he left. You only had four short years with your eldest brother before he shipped himself off to the military. Benny followed at nineteen too. You were six by then. You had grown closest to Benny. Even though you had always made sure Will never lacked your attention. You exchanged letters and drawings and packages. Your mother bought a camera to take pictures of you growing up for the two of them through your letters. Your sloppy penmanship would always put a smile on the brother’s faces. Will would tell you the lighthearted stories about his army buddies, jokes they told and funny stories about their time there. And as you got older Benny would allow you to hear more of the truthful stories. Stories where things went wrong, someone almost got hurt. How one of their fellow troops was killed. Things your mother would faint at the sound of. That made you wonder if your brothers were truly okay out there. It very rarely gave you enough comfort to sleep at night knowing they at least had each other and their friends.

For a couple years the letters had become sporadic. You would always wait for the mail to arrive and instantly run to the mailbox. Soon enough, weeks would come without any word from either of them. Benny would eventually send them on behalf of the both of them. They were shorter, mostly telling you that they were okay and they missed you. That they had gotten ‘promoted’ and they were important. They were just busy. And while you were sad. You knew it probably was true, they were busy. You would continue to send letters, though. Explaining things you felt were important to your life, hoping it would ease some of their anxieties.

You were seventeen when they both briefly came back. Right as you were going to graduate high school. They claimed they came home because they could never miss a moment like that. But you aren’t sure how likely their stories are. They watched you throw your cap in the air, just like you had done many, many years prior. They both felt such a strong sense of pride, although both admitted to each other that the guilty feeling of missing most of your life was present, persistent. Will more than Benny. Benny tried to convince him you would never be upset at them. You could never be, they fought for you, in many ways. Truthfully, you were just happy they were home and safe. You cried when they left again, you were still just a kid. Refined, more poised than a four year old. But it still hurt them all the same, watching the tears that formed in your eyes. Trying to hold back your staggered breaths with a smile. A simple. “Don’t forget to write again. I love you guys.” Was the last they heard.

Three years later your mother had begged the two boys to come back home and live as a family for a couple of years. ‘Just to get settled into life again.’ She would say. But you know it probably didn’t take much convincing for them to stay. It was exciting, after so many years of the hallways being quiet. There was finally a joyful noise that filled the house. Banter over dinner and rowdy movie nights. It wasn’t all perfect, of course. There were many nights that were just as loud in the worst kind of way. Fights and arguments. Your dad hated that Benny fought petty street fights for money. And Will had nightmares a lot, the kind that left him with his head in his hands at the kitchen island. You always seemed to wake in time to join him. Comfort him in the way he seemed to be so seamlessly able to soothe you as a child. Your hand on his back as a crutch. To say, “I’ve got you.”

It was two years before Will moved out. He had met a woman six months after his return. Fell head over heels. Your family adored her. She was kind, accepting, and comforting. Most importantly she was willing to be with your brother no matter what. It made you swoon. You were so happy for your brother to find that kind of support. Love. He deserved it. You couldn’t believe he was really all grown up. You were too, but it was different. You were the baby, you were always going to be. Will wasn't some ragged teenager anymore. Somehow you blinked and found yourself at his wedding. It was a lovely little reception, the venue was beautiful and it was a perfect summer day. You didn’t really date as of lately, you had gone on plenty of dates as a teen. But it was a little harder when you had two older brothers standing over you like two gargoyles. You had a short term boyfriend but it wasn’t more than a few dinner dates and maybe a couple kisses here and there. Not that your romantic life bothered you. You were young, twenty two was too young to stay in a long term romantic relationship. There were options, you just didn’t take them. You were content in your life. Or that’s what you kept telling yourself, noticing that you seemed to be the only one at the wedding who didn’t bring a date, or at least someone to stand next to. Jesus. You should’ve taken the chance to call your friend to be your plus one. You take a deep breath to avoid your mind falling into an even deeper hole, but the sound of Benny’s voice snaps you out of your thoughts.

“Yo, kiddo! We want you to meet some people.”

You take his extended hand and follow him over to a table that seemed to have three other men, followed by two women who you presumed were their dates. You exchanged pleasantries. And came to learn of their names, Tom, Francisco and Santiago. Once you were introduced to their dates you noticed Santiago didn’t come with one. For some reason, it puts you at ease. Hoping to ignore the later questions of “Why didn’t you bring a date?” Benny brings you a chair to sit and you find yourself sitting right in between Santiago and Francisco. Although he prefers to be called ‘Frankie’, you’ve heard. The dinner goes smoothly, you finally get the speeches. One by one the friends take their turn speaking about Will. How headstrong he was, what a good friend he was. How happy he seemed now that he was married to the love of his life. How proud they all were of him. It gave you a sense of pride to be related to someone so selfless. The moment Santiago stood up your eyes immediately trailed his stature. The way the suit was fitted to him, and his cufflinks had a quick glimmer when light passed through. You quickly turn your gaze to Will, sending him a sweet smile. He nods in acknowledgment and turns his eyes back to Santiago. You follow suit, hoping no one noticed you staring and also hoping the quick detour would have your mind back on track. Although whatever track that is, you’re not completely sure. His speech is heartwarming, you can’t tell if he’s showing his charisma off or if he is really that charming. You watch the guys shake with a hearty laughter at one of their inside jokes being thrown in.

After a while, the moment starts to die down. Couples are moving to the dance floor. You opt out of the dance for a glass or two of champagne that you so gracefully took from a walking server. Sitting in a chair on the sidelines you appreciate the atmosphere. The slow music, dull lights and overall happiness in the room. You feel bubbly by the time the next song plays. And through half lidded eyes you notice that someone took a seat next to you. “You good there, chiquita?” The voice calls out. You find yourself tensing up and turning to face him. “No, yeah, I’m fine.. Sorry. Didn’t mean to worry you..” You mumble out. There’s a stretched out silence before he speaks up again. “You wanna dance? You’ve been sitting here all night.” His question doesn’t sound like a question at all. He seemed certain you would say yes. You nodded at him, standing and walking out to the dance floor. He took your hand and placed it on his shoulder, while he planted his hands firmly on your waist. He set a distance between the two of you that made you want to laugh. Quite the gentleman, it seems. The two of you swayed kind of awkwardly for a bit until he suddenly seemed to give a little slack. The distance closed slightly. One continuous slow song after the other and you soon found yourself with no distance from Santiago. Your chests touching and his hands rubbing up and down your back. Your head tucked in the slot between his collarbone and shoulder. The smell of his cologne was all you could feel in the air surrounding. You swayed to the music, falling into a comfortable rhythm. The next song was fast paced, causing the two of you to pull away as if you got singed. Both of you frantically looked around, almost as if waiting for a punishment. Like dancing with someone at a wedding was wrong. It hadn’t felt wrong, you clear your throat and say your goodbyes. The rest of the party continued on as normal, no one seemingly noticing the two of you in such close proximity. You spent the rest of the time exchanging stolen glances at each other.

You didn’t hear of him much after the wedding. Just little hints of his life from your brothers. You came to learn his nickname was ‘Pope’. Every time the name would pop up your attention was just suddenly on whoever was talking. After a month there was complete radio silence on anything Pope related. You were settling back into life and that little fantasy was just that. A small moment you could cherish once in a while. Until one night, you were sitting with Will and your sister in law at their house. Watching some random romcom that the two of you had picked out to force Will to watch. It was going pretty well, you had a bowl of popcorn in between your thighs as you sat legs crossed on the couch. Suddenly his phone rang. And you pouted as he paused the movie to answer it. “Hello?” Then silence, and more silence. Then— “Jesus, Pope.. Colombia? Are you sure? Alright. Only the best, my brother. Be safe.” The call had ended as abruptly as it started and Will was playing the movie without a second thought. He shuffled back into the couch and wrapped an arm around his wife. You couldn’t focus on the movie after that, and you hoped neither of the two could sense the same tension in the air you felt, but it’s likely they did. Life continued on after that, you managed to push every and all thought of Santiago to the back of your mind. It seemed to work, you got a job, started to go out more. Arranged things to move out, almost an hour away from home. Into the city in a small apartment. Your brothers were right there as you twisted the key into the lock for the first time. You slowly and surely started to root your life in your space. You saved up enough money for a cute little car. A black sedan. You were starting to mature, but it would’ve been nothing without the help of your family. It would be another three years before you saw his face again.

The heat of summer was enough for you to contemplate jumping into the pool with your dress on. The barbecue was lively, there was Tom and his now ex-wife, Molly and their daughter, Tess. Frankie and his fiancée with their new baby. Your darling brothers fighting over who starts up the grill. Your excitement fell slightly at the thought of Santiago not being here. But from what you finally heard from the group, Santiago had been down in South America for the better part of the three years since Will’s wedding. You sigh and head for the table with all the drinks. The sound of cheers and laughs makes your eyes turn to the fence gate. Where Santiago now stands. Hugging all of his friends. You smile, getting ready to go up and greet him when you realize there’s a woman standing by his side. You halt in your tracks and settle for a slight wave and a quick ‘hello’. Your gaze lingers on the woman for a second too long before you turn your face to see Will finally starting up the grill. You sink your teeth slightly into your bottom lip and sit by the pool in a lounge chair. She was gorgeous, older than you, but not by more than five years. She seemed so refined, effortlessly beautiful even in the scorching heat of summer. The curls of her blonde hair bounce almost as to taunt you as she wraps her arm around his. You groan and let the back of your head hit the back of the chair. Your face was on fire. You felt childish, to have an on again off again crush on a man who clearly isn’t single and is the same age as your older brother. And not to mention they're best friends. You purposely want to ignore how you haven’t shared more than six words with the man. When you think it aloud in your head, you were crazy to believe there was anything there in the first place. Unless you misread the tension and he felt more like you were an annoying sidelines sister instead of a person.

Around eight pm Will’s next door neighbors had stopped by to join. They were nice enough, two parents and a single son. No other children. You had spoken to their son once or twice before while you were visiting but didn’t think much of it. It was perfect timing for them to get in and eat. You kept your position by the pool, only moving to get drinks or change seats. You had your feet dipped in the water while you stared at the night sky. You were so engrossed in your own thoughts you didn’t hear the sound of the back door sliding open and closed. You didn’t pay much attention until the sounds of clothes shuffling and a soft grunt came from next to you. It was Santiago, with his pants rolled up his calf and his feet in the water with you. You beamed immediately, then deflated and avoided his gaze when you remembered who he came with. “How are you?” He broke the silence first. You took a second to think before answering his question with one of your own. “Don’t you think I should be asking that?” He chuckles at you before glancing at your reflection in the water. “Yeah that’s.. You’re right there, chiquita.” You smirked in triumph. The sound of the nickname rolling off his tongue made you instinctively press your thighs together. You watch his eyes flicker to your legs before back to your face. If he notices, he doesn't say anything. “I’m good. By the way..” You finally say. He hums in acknowledgment with a small smile on his face. “You look gorgeous, I like the dress.” His compliment cuts your breath short. Face going hot as you turn to look away from him. “Thanks, Santiag—“ “Santi. You can just call me Santi.” You smile. “Thanks, Santi.” This time it’s his turn to avoid your eyes and he clears his throat before getting up and out of the water. “I’ll uh, see you inside?” You shrug and lean back on the palms of your hands. He runs a hand down the lower part of his face and neck before turning on his heel and walking back towards the sliding door.

Once the door is shut Santiago shakes his head and shoulders. Trying to ignore how beautiful you looked in your dress. Trying to forget the twitch of your thighs when he called you that. Did you like that? Did you find it creepy? Trying to focus back on being able to maneuver his way through endless conversation and questioning. Forcing himself to interact with a woman he really couldn’t care less for. Albeit he feels bad that he can’t care more for her, she was pretty nice. He grabs another beer and takes a seat on the couch once he’s dried his feet on a beach towel. His date takes a seat tucked underneath his arm and he goes to take a heavy swig. He looks down at her, her blue eyes staring right back into his brown ones. He forgot her name. She was meeting what he considered family and he couldn’t even remember her fucking name? Santiago needed to get his life on track. But after three years looking for that cockroach in South America all he wanted was to take a breather. At least before he went back to finish the job. That meant finding a new girl to be under him every other week. Santi had heard this record millions of times before, the same skip in the track. Where he can’t take the different woman to fill the void anymore. But he isn’t there yet, he tells himself. He’s at a nice summer barbecue, there isn’t anything or anyone that’s looking for him back in the states. There is no one with a gun to his head or far off with a scope that has him in clear sight. He can take a breath without having to worry if it’ll be too loud and alert an enemy.

He’s so deep in thought he doesn’t even notice the kid shaking at his shoulder asking him to talk. Santiago grunts as the boy pulls him into a room deeper throughout the house. He recognizes him as the neighbor's kid but just barely. What was his name? “Uh.. Tony? Right?” Santiago asks him. “Yeah, Anthony but Tony works too.. Just wanted to ask..” He clears his throat and places his hands on his hips. Paces around. Santiago sucks air through his teeth. “Ask what, kid? Spit it out.” After hearing what the boy had to say he wishes he didn’t ask. “Are you and the youngest Miller like, fucking or something?” Santiago takes a step back in shock. “What? What the fuck, no?” Tony raises an eyebrow and sends a condescending smirk Santiago’s way. “Alright, so if you don’t like her.. Then you won’t mind me asking her out then, right?” Santiago scowls. “Why would I? Listen, man. That’s your fucking business. Not mine.” He lets out a deep breath, wishing he could walk away from this moment. This horribly awkward moment. Santiago wanted to sink into the floor. Had people thought they were? Together? The thought ran a shudder down Santiago’s spine. His jaw clenched before he heard the young man in front of him speak again. “Good. I was worried you were her fucking sugar daddy or somethin—” Santiago didn’t even give him a chance to finish his sentence before his fist collided with the boy's chin. It shoved Tony back a couple steps and sent him against a side table, shoving a vase to the floor which managed to catch the attention of Will. Santiago shook his hand before reeling back and throwing another punch. Sending Tony to the ground this time. Crouching down to the floor he whispers to Tony. “You can ask her whatever you want. But don't forget to have some fucking respect. ¿Entiendes?” Tony nodded his head furiously. Not soon enough was the door swinging open with Will pulling Santiago up from the ground and pushing him aside to lift up Tony.

“What the fuck, Pope?”

Santiago just wiped his nose with his hand and walked away. As he walked towards the door of the room the stupid boy had brought them into, you rushed in. You overheard Will's voice and then the sudden questioning of Tony to ask if he was alright. The blood that dripped on the floor contradicted his next statement. “I’m fine. I guess I just struck a nerve.” Santiago’s jaw clenched before he turned on his heel and left. The girl he came with followed behind. Will sighed. Then got up and went to grab a first aid kit. You stared down at where Anthony was sitting. “What happened?” You asked. He smiled up at you. “Nothing, darling. I guess he just got defensive when I asked if you guys were a thing. That’s all.” You blinked at him. “A thing? W-We’ve spoken like four times in the past six years I don’t think that's considered a thing.. Plus he brought a woman.” There was a slight edge to your voice. You wouldn’t describe why this conversation had started to aggravate you so quickly. “Careful. You sound jealous.” Anthony sent a chuckle your way. And while it was supposed to feel like a warm joke you only felt the ice coating the words of his sentence. Jealous? You were jealous. You liked Santiago, you liked the idea of being a thing with him. You just know he wouldn’t feel the same. You gave him a dry chuckle. “Right. Feel better, Tony.” You sent him a cold glare before crossing your arms and walking out of the room. You walked out onto the porch where you saw Tom, Frankie and Santi standing around his jeep. At a closer inspection you noticed the woman he came with sitting in the passenger seat of the car. You made your way to them. They dropped silent when you approached, which you met with a scoff. “All quiet now? What was that about, Santi?” He sighs before turning his back to you and starts to walk to his car door. You scoffed again and rolled your eyes. Looking at Frankie while Santiago started his car and began to back out of the driveway. “Seriously, what the hell is his problem?” You ask the taller man, who only responds in a chuckle. “You make him nervous, that's all.” He brings his hand up to ruffle your hair before he and Tom both walk back into the house after Frankie drops that on you.

Nervous? You made Santiago nervous? He made you nervous, he made your heart speed up and your breath catch in your throat. You tried so desperately to blame it on his lover boy persona but you knew you found him attractive for your own reasons. You sighed and sat on the porch steps. You just needed to be away from the party, You weren’t expecting him to roll back up. And clearly, he wasn’t expecting you to be sitting at the front entrance. “Were you waiting for me?” He asks hesitantly, you look up at him and smile slightly. “Not necessarily, but it’s a nice surprise that you came back.” You pat the space on the steps next to you. “I know what made you hit him. But how did he word it?” Your question makes Santiago uneasy, you probably thought he was a total creep. Strange for hitting a younger man who probably would capture your attention more than he would. “He asked if we were fucking. Then he said he thought I was your sugar daddy.” He spits out the sentence through gritted teeth and tense shoulders. He only relaxes the second he hears you cackle beside him. He looks over to you in surprise. “Oh god he’s so stupid. That’s hilarious. I appreciate you hitting him for me. Defending my honor and all that.” A heat bubbles in Santiago’s chest at the sound of your laugh. He wants to hear it again and again until you can’t laugh anymore. He chuckles and elbows your arm. “Come on, wouldn’t you wanna be with a fun guy like him?” You stop laughing and look into Santiago’s eyes. “No way, he isn’t my type at all.” Your sentence is more of a whisper. “What’s your type?” Santiago’s question goes unanswered, instead turning your head to lean in.

Santiago starts to lean in too, and for a second you wonder if you’re imagining it. Then, as if he regains some form of self restraint he pulls away from you before swallowing harshly. “Shit, I–We can’t.” You frown at him. “Why can't we?” Your kicked puppy expression has Santiago wishing he could kiss it off of you, give into you. Give you what you truly wanted. But he isn’t meant for that, the white picket fence and family with a dog. Three bedroom house with a backyard and a mortgage. It wasn’t that he didn’t want it. He just didn’t think he could actually achieve it. “–You know why. I think I’d die a fatal death by Millers before my actual time. No way authorities would find my body, either..” He laughs dryly to himself. But you continue to stare at him with a stern expression. “I'm not a child, you know. I can make my own choices.” He sighs and places a hand on the side of your face. “I know, princesa. It’s just complicated.” You sigh and lean into his touch. “Tell me you don’t want me then.” “What?” His voice is a whisper as he gazes into your eyes. “Tell me.. You don’t want to be with me, try with me. And I’ll drop it.” You watch as his jaw clenches. The silence makes you wonder if that’s his answer to you. You go to wiggle out of his space before he pulls you towards him into a bruising kiss. You hum into his lips and wrap your arms around his neck. His hands move towards your hips, and with a soft grunt he’s lifting you up into his arms, carrying you and walking towards his jeep before setting you down in front of the passenger door. “You want this? Me? Won't be easy.” He chuckles once more, this time it’s genuine. You smile up at him, face flushed, with your pupils blown out and your lips plump from the earlier kiss. “Have for years, Santi. Don’t make me wait any longer.”

“I couldn’t ever make you wait, chiquita.”

#this is so sloppy but i needed to get this out #this is my audition for the oscar isaac fanclub tbh #santiago garcia x reader #santi garcia x reader #pope garcia x reader #triple frontier x reader #triple frontier #santiago garcia #oscar isaac #oscar isaac imagine #˚ . ☆ ⋆。˚ — my writing.

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clanwarrior-tumbly · 3 years ago

Note

Wilford Warfstash x reader where Wilford is having a ptsd episode and remembering what he did to the reader at the Manor, and he begs them to tell him that it wasn’t real, that it was all a joke, just like they have the past hundreds of times this has happened.

The reader gently tells him that, yes, of course it wasn’t real. It was all just a joke, and waits for Wilford to descend into madness and smile.

But, for the first time in forever, Wilford can’t seem to do that, his accent changes to one that it was so long ago as he sobs that no, no, he remembers, he remembers what happened, he knows Damien and Celine aren’t coming back, and most of all, he remembers what he did to the reader. And he sobs and apologizes over and over, making the reader tear up and hug him, telling him it’s okay. They forgive him. They know he didn’t mean to.

Maybe also with pining romantic feelings mixed in? ❤️

"Woah, woah..Wilford, easy. Just put the gun down.”

“Wha..Why? What are you so afraid of, friend? Huh? It’s not like it’s going to kill you!”

Despite his laughter, it didn’t match the haunted look in Wilford’s eyes. It was one you remembered all too well, knowing exactly what was happening to him the moment he looked at you in that way.

The first time it happened was in the manor, and now it comes back time and time again. He recalls what occurred that horrible morning, yet was always unsure of the exact details. So he immediately went to either you or Dark for consolation, panicking, waving a gun around, and near-tears as he asks you the same question.

“I didn’t kill anyone, did I?”

You don’t know what could’ve triggered it this time around. But no matter the cause, you had to pull him back into reality.

Or rather keep him from knowing the reality.

The reality that you, Damien, and Celine ceased to exist that day and were no longer the people he once knew. The reality that he shot you, his first victim, in which he’d go onto kill many more victims, led by a blind assumption that death wasn’t permanent and they would all just get up eventually.

You did, so why wouldn’t they as well?

Yet..the more he asked himself this, the more he started to doubt himself. But he didn’t know why.

You’ve told him the same thing a hundred times: He never killed anybody..it was all just a joke! A cruel prank between friends.

You’ve told him yourself! It’s what he told himself!

So he didn’t understand why he kept questioning whether that was the truth.

Maybe he just needed confirmation once and for all.

“I promise..I-I won’t ever ask this again.” He stepped uncomfortably close to you, his smile so twisted, yet so broken. “I keep having doubts and I need to know...am I murderer? Is everyone still here with us? Please don’t lie.”

Although you wanted to so badly give him the truth, you knew that the comforting lie is what he needed more. Because it’s become his new reality--and for you to suddenly say otherwise would...

God, you didn’t even know what would happen if you did admit it to him. That’s what terrified you. The possibilities of how much this could break his mind and do something horrendous to you, himself, Dark..or any ego here....you couldn’t face that.

He’s hurt too many people. You couldn’t risk that.

So with a small sigh, you forced a tiny smile. “They’re still here. And you..didn’t kill anyone. It’s all okay now.”

And so you waited for him to calm down and return to that state of being that you knew him so well for. Yes, he would still be mad. But it was the kind of mad you were accustomed to seeing.

The kind that, ironically, made him more sane than he was right now.

But for the first time in years, those words didn’t work.

Instead of soothing Wilford’s mind, it did the exact opposite as he began to sob, holding the side of the gun against his head as he stumbled away from you. Only a few short feet. “No, no...no, no, no! I..c-cannot be in this stage of denial no longer! STOP IT!!”

You blinked in astonishment, hearing his accent slip back into a familiar one that you’ve forgotten about.

One from so long ago.

Cautiously, you stayed near the door, ready to bolt in case you needed to. “Wilford-”

“W-William...my name was..William, wasn’t it?” He muttered, his inflection not changing as he gazed at you. It seemed like a wave of lucidity had washed over him. “Please tell me what I need to hear, not what I want to hear.”

This was entirely new.

Has he finally come to grips with the truth all by himself?

Well, there was no sense in lying to him anymore. So you nodded gently. “You were Colonel William J...Barnum. We were childhood friends, I’d write to you all the time..and...” You trailed off, not wanting to hit him with too many memories.

“N-No..don’t hold back.” The tears kept falling from his eyes, the gun clamoring to the floor. “There’s no need to anymore, [y/n]. I know what I did..what really happened.”

You stared at him, surprised. “You do?”

“That blasted house..i-it took them. Damien...Celine..I don’t know what it did to them, but I know it changed Dames. He’s not the same anymore, is he?”

“...no, he’s just Dark. Only a shadow of his former self.”

“H-Hah, of course..of course. No wonder he hates it when I say those names around him.” Holding himself, he began to shake, his smile wavering with a sob. He then staggered back towards you in a familiar way.

The same way he did back in that manor after waiting hours for you to wake up.

“I remember something else so clearly now. The way your body fell off that balcony...a-after I..I....oh god, [y/n].” Cupping a hand over his mouth, he suddenly dropped to his knees in front of you, completely shattered. “That’s where it all went so wrong!! The moment I shot you dead!!”

You gazed down at him with an aching heart. “William-”

“It’s no wonder you were ready to run! Why you had to lie for my sake! To protect yourself from y-your...your MURDERER!!” He screamed sorrowfully, still holding himself as he rocked slightly on the floor.

Immediately your eyes became full of tears. Not because he was yelling, but because he was finally understanding the truth of that day after being stuck in a perpetual state of denial for ages.

And most importantly he wasn’t shooting holes in the walls. Just..weeping on the floor like a child, mumbling apologies over and over again.

You couldn’t bear to leave him like this, so you knelt down and pulled him into an embrace. At first he was shocked, but then he clung to you tightly, echoing words from that rusty automaton he tried shoving all of his grief into.

“I didn’t know the gun was loaded..I didn’t know the gun was..w-was loaded..I didn’t know-”

“I didn’t know either, Will.” You hushed, petting his hair and giving the top of his head a gentle kiss. One he could barely feel. “But what I do know is that you didn’t mean to kill me. I know you’d never hurt me on purpose. I forgive you..and I never stopped loving you.” The last part was muttered quietly, yet he heard you and sniffled.

“But I...I-I took everything from you! Even your life!” His sobs became softer, muffled by your shoulder. “H-How could you love someone who robbed you of so much?”

Your heart jumped, knowing he reciprocated the feelings, but now you knew why this revelation devastated him more than anything. Even more than losing Damien.

Because Celine wasn’t the only love in his life.

Oh no, he’s loved you since the moment you both graduated, ready to set onto your own paths. Yet neither of you could bring yourselves to confess to each other, losing touch when he went on the safari and returned a changed man. You came pretty close to at the party...yet fate stole that opportunity from you once more.

Then you two became strangers again...until Wilford started having these episodes and seemed so lost on what was fiction and what was reality.

But now he knew his love for you was real. It always was. And it’s why he was such a mess and ran to you for comfort whenever the memories overwhelmed him.

Because you were the true love of his life. And for you to be here still, holding him in your arms, was all the reassurance he needed.

You didn’t have to answer his question.

You’ve already given him your answer.

#clanask #anonymous #iplier egos x reader #wilford warfstache x reader #wkm x reader #angst #hurt/comfort

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anonquack · 4 years ago

Text

| Best Friend |

Alex Quackity x Reader, Oneshot!

Word Count: 10661

Warnings: Some curse words and overthinking. This one got a bit long!

Summary: After a CC Convention is announced, you and your friends plan to meet up for it. You expect to enjoy yourself with friends but instead are forced to deal with feelings you didn't even know you had. Luckily, your friends are there to give you a push in the right direction.

"Okay but height comparison between Quackity and Sapnap when??" You asked midst all the chaos occurring on that wonderful night. Despite your busy schedule, you'd gotten some time off to finally stream and some friends to keep you company.

Which resulted in this mess of a stream you were now broadcasting.

Your question caught their attention, and a soft scoff could be heard from Sapnap's mic.

"You're kidding, right? You're basically saying you need to CHECK that I'm taller when we already know that's true. You're insulting me." Sapnap said, the cockiness evident in his tone. You couldn't help but stare at your monitor in amusement at how sure of himself he sounded.

"That's not true. Literally check the height check Karl and I had versus the one Sapnap had with him." Quackity argued back, earning scoffs from almost everyone on the call.

"I know you're trying to use that to back you up, but you're just proving my point." Sapnap was intense whenever he became competitive or got into arguments, so you could only raise your brows as you watched chat fly by with their own opinions on the discussion, including their very questionable comments regarding Sapnap and how attractive he was being.

"Well, personally," Bad quipped in, "I think Sapnap's the taller one. Just makes the most sense since Quackity gives off Short Person Energy."

"Yeah? Well keep that WRONG opinion to yourself. That shit's embarrassing-"

"Language!" Bad interrupts Quackity, eliciting a laugh from everyone on call.

"You know chat," you call out after pondering on a solution for a bit, "We can figure this all out during the meetup!"

"Meetup?" Bad asked, confusion evident in his tone. You could almost see his furrowed brows and confused smile.

"Yes, Bad, meet-up. All four of us. Plus the others. And you guys, if you decide to go." The last bit was directed at the viewers. "Don't you remember? The convention is a thing that's supposed to be happening this year."

"Ohhh." He let out a small sound, as if his memory was finally coming back. "I haven't decided if I'm going yet." He admits softly.

"You most certainly are! You have to be there so I can beat BOTH Sapnap and you up once we all find out I'm the taller one." Quackity chimes in finally, teasing tone evident.

"As if," Sapnap scoffs, "Bad and I will literally kick your ass."

"Language." Soft as ever, and also a sign that it's getting late. You look over at your monitor, which displayed the time before letting out a small gasp.

"Oh- it's late. I hope I haven't been keeping you guys awake for too long. It's probably best we end for tonight anyway." You hum softly as you click some tabs away, noticing the faint sounds of stretching heard in the background of the call.

"It's fine, I wasn't even tired until you mentioned how late it was. You should've kept quiet." Quackity says with a patronizing tone, to which you simply chuckle.

"Thank you guys for sticking around. I really had a lot of fun.. we should do this more often. Us four." It was an honest confession, but perhaps too soft for them all and too personal for the audience to listen in on too.

"I had fun too, you should invite me to your streams more often, or, whatever." Sapnap mumbles, sounding a bit tired as well, but sincere despite the lack of care in his words.

It results in a small smile on your face anyway.

"Bye!! Thank you for inviting us, I'm gonna miss messing around with you all. Sleep well." Bad adds, a small whine to his voice as they all start saying their goodbyes.

As they finish up their goodbyes, you quickly deafen to start saying your own goodbyes to chat and thanking the last minute subs rolling in.

After all is over, you finish closing up the tabs, leaving the discord one last. As you're about to officially leave the call, you realize there is still one person there. He hadn't left.

"Quackity-?" You'd voiced out in confusion after undeafening. You'd thought they'd all leave while you took your sweet time saying goodbye.

"Yeah?" He sounded confused by your own confusion. You couldn't help the small smile that appeared on your face.

"Were you waiting for me to end or did you just forget to leave the call?" It was a genuine question, but perhaps a teasing tone slipped in towards the end.

"I was waiting, I'm not an asshole nor a dumbass." He lets out a laugh before continuing. "I just wanted to say I had fun tonight."

You hummed softly, "I'm glad you did. I had fun too."

"If I'm being honest, I wasn't feeling all too well, and just, joking around with you.. Sapnap, and Bad.. well it was just really nice. Thank you." His tone was soft, filled your headphones so nicely and brought comfort into the air.

"Oh, well it's good that you're feeling better now, but if you ever aren't feeling up for a stream.. please tell me, okay? Your wellbeing is much more important to me than a scuffed stream."

"No no, it's fine. I needed something to distract myself with and you all helped so much. It really got me excited for the meet-up. I- I can't wait to hang out with you in person. With all of you, I mean."

The smile on your face grew, almost to the point where it had your cheeks hurting. "I can't wait to hang out with all of you either. Good thing we won't have to wait long, hm?"

Faint sounds in the background of stretching and even softer yawns. "Mhm. Do you wanna switch to phone call?"

It was the usual invitation to fall asleep on call together. At this point, it almost felt strange whenever you headed to bed without Quackity mumbling stuff about his day to you or hearing the soft breathing sounds from his end of the call.

"Sounds good. Talk to you in a bit." You smiled, hearing a small bye from him before leaving the call. You turned off your whole setup for the night and headed straight to your bed.

It didn't take long for the phone to start ringing a few moments after you'd managed to lay down.

"Hi." You answered softly, placing the phone next to your head as you covered yourself with your blankets. It was only a matter of time before the sleepiness took over, but for now you'd enjoy Quackity's company.

"Hey." Was his response, voice sounding much closer now that you were laying down with your phone so close to your ear. It almost felt like he was laying down beside you.

You wondered for a split second what that would be like, if he'd be warm and welcoming or if he'd value his personal space while sharing a bed. As friends, of course.

You refocused on his voice as he began talking about his plans for the meet-up, and all the things he wanted to do once you all were in person. It was so sweet to hear how excited he was, and just how much he wanted to do with you all.

Sweet moments like these make you hyper-aware of the amazing friends you have, and how much love you have for them all. Tonight couldn't have been better, all thanks to them.

—

As the meet-up date gets closer, and more interactions happen during streams / calls / messages, it becomes more evident how much your friends mean to you; just how badly you want to meet all of them.

And as the date for the meet-up gets closer, responsibilities such as packing for your trip join your very long To-Do list.

You're on the phone with Bad as you both choose clothes to take, folding and packing them nicely. Making conversation, with Rat barking in the background occasionally, as the cherry on top.

Moments like these make you realize how good of a friend Badboyhalo is. He's kind, always knows what to say to help people feel better. He's funny, he's charming, full of love and support for his friends.

You two had been joking around on FaceTime for quite some time after you'd packed all essentials. He showed you tricks he'd managed to teach Rat, and you gave him an apartment tour.

Neither of you seemed to be getting tired, so you stayed on call until somehow you ended up sprawled on your sofa, laptop at hand, screen sharing YouTube videos. Bad was resting comfortably on his bed as small giggles left him at the absurdity of the videos you two were watching.

Every few minutes a small "We should do that," or a "Imagine Sapnap doing that," or a "I want to meet you all so bad," would be murmured into the air with only a hum of agreement to compliment it. It only made you yearn for your friends even more.

"Bad." You called out after quite a few random videos and lids getting heavier with each second.

"Yes?"

"When I see you, I'm gonna hug the shit out of you. I hope you know that." You said, small smile on your face as you watched his head lift up from the pillow at such a fast speed.

"Language-! But well, that would be nice. I will also be giving you tons of hugs. To all of you." He pauses for a second before continuing. "I was actually kinda nervous for the meetup, but now I'm just so excited."

"I'm really glad to hear that, Bad. I will make sure you enjoy yourself to the max."

"Thank you y/n," he replies softly, resting his head against the pillow again, "I will make sure you enjoy yourself too."

You smiled at the state he was in, you two would fall asleep in no time, so your thoughts were honestly incoherent, and your tongue could not be tamed as your thoughts wandered aimlessly.

"Do you think I can take Sapnap and Quackity in a fight? In case they try to beat me up?"

"I doubt they'll try to beat you up, they'll be too busy fighting each other, and he'll be too busy thinking about how cute you are." His words were slightly slurred at this point, and all you could do was laugh as you imagined a fight between Sapnap and Quackity as fans tried getting a picture with them.

It crossed your mind for half a second to ask who exactly would be thinking such a thing, but any sign of a functioning brain between you two was nonexistent at that very moment. So all you really said was, "Good. But I'm still going to be prepared just in case."

—

After so many excited calls and planning, the day was finally here. Everyone would be traveling out today to meet up at the house you'd all managed to rent for the week / weekend you guys would be staying there. This way, you'd all be able to maximize the time spent together, and also save money. It sounded like a wonderful idea, really.

After arriving in the city, you patiently waited for the driver that'd be taking you there. You couldn't help but realize just how anxious you were starting to feel. The moment when you'd meet all your friends was getting closer and closer. What if it wasn't everything you'd expected? Or if it was awkward?

The ride there was too quick. Before you knew it, you were pulling your luggage out the trunk and heading up the path that lead to the front door. You stood still for a few seconds before your knuckles were knocking against the firm wood. The noise echoing for a few seconds as you stood in anticipation.

The door swung open, and with a big grin, you were pulled into a hug by no other than Badboyhalo. You quickly wrapped your arms around him as well, not wanting to let go. He was finally here! And he was real! Real, so so real. Any concerns you had on the way here slowly dissipated the longer he had you in his warm hold.

"Bad!" You said happily, slightly squishing him as your embrace tightened for a few seconds. Seriously too good to be true, but true nonetheless.

As he finally pulled away to smile at you, you felt lightheaded at the insane rush of dopamine in your system. As your head finally cleared up, you realized someone else was walking towards you two.

He wore a small smile on his face as he approached, it slowly growing as he got closer and as excitement became harder and harder to contain.

"Quackity." You called out, face lighting up immediately at the sight of him.

"Hi." He responded, sheepish smile on his face. Had he always looked this good?

It only took a few steps before your arms were around him, pulling him close. Although your firm grip caught him off-guard, he managed to melt into the hug soon after, arms wrapping around you as well.

"Big Q! Quackity! Alex!" You smiled as you pulled away, hand reaching up to give his cheek a light squish. You couldn't really help yourself, he was just too pleasing for your eyes. If the dopamine from earlier wasn't already too much, having him this close and feeling oh so real was even more deadlier.

He laughed at your affectionate touch, obviously not having enough of you either. It didn't take long for him to pull you back in for another embrace. "Holy shit." he mumbled into the hug, "You're actually fucking here. I can't believe it y/n." His tone was soft and it had you melting into his embrace all over again. It was intoxicating in the best way, but eventually you both pull away, smiling at each other with so much appreciation.

You hadn't really taken into account just how excited you were to see all your friends, especially someone as important as Quackity. The one you told almost everything to during late night calls, the person you could honestly consider a best friend. All of them were that to you, but it just felt so much stronger with him. You didn't really know how to explain it.

Before you could even give your mind time to dwell, Quackity was being pulled off you by none other than Sapnap and Karl, which quickly replaced Quackity's arms with their own.

"Guys!!" You called out happily as you hugged them back just as tightly. "Am I really the last one here? Where's Dream, or George?"

"We've literally been waiting like an hour for you to get here! We were all getting impatient." Karl laughed as he finally pulled away from the hug.

"Seriously impatient." Mumbled Sapnap into your shoulder before letting go from the warm embrace. "What took so long?"

"Sorry that I don't live as close to here as you guys do. My flight took longer than expected too."

"Who cares! At least you're finally here." Dream's voice, followed by heavy footsteps on the floor, and laughter as George ran over to where you stood with your suitcase.

"Y/N!! We're all finally together." You almost closed your eyes instinctively from how bright his smile was. George's energy was so contagious, you couldn't help but return the energy he was giving you.

Finally, you turned to Dream, who was standing there in all his tall glory.

"Holy shit." You mumbled as you eyed him from head to toe. "You're so fucking tall."

Laughter erupted from everyone before big arms wrapped around you, filling you with warmth and love. You were finally here with all your friends, and it was better than you could've ever imagined.

"Okay," Karl announces once everyone had greeted each other and given all the much needed hugs, "We were actually thinking movie night so we can all just relax and enjoy each other's company. What do you think, y/n?"

"You aren't getting any complaints from me. What movie are we watching?"

At that, Karl and Sapnap raced off to see who could get the remote control faster. You assumed it was in regards to who had the power to choose what everyone watched.

You watched in amusement as Karl and Sapnap argued over what movie to watch, George chiming in here and there just to fuel the lighthearted argument.

"Did you think they'd be just as annoying in person?" You jumped slightly at the sudden voice coming from behind you, but quickly relaxed as Quackity stood beside you.

"No, I also didn't think it was such a big deal who got to choose the movie." Your eyes trailed back to the arguing pair.

"Oh hush. The food Dream ordered isn't even here so really we're doing you all a favor. Taking our time to choose wisely." Karl argued back, to which Dream laughed.

"I guess that's one way to see it, but it's almost here according to the app, so hurry up."

Silence, before the arguing resumed and filled the living room with a pleasing buzz.

You watched as Dream headed over to you and gently placed his hand onto your shoulder, "Let me show you where your room is so you can get all comfy before movie night starts, yeah?"

"Thank you, Dream. I'd actually really appreciate that." With that, you gave Quackity a small wave before following after Dream. Freshening up after sitting in a plane for hours would certainly help make the rest of the night 10x more pleasant.

—

Once you'd walked back out into the living room, you saw everyone had their plate of food, everyone already comfy in their spots.

You looked around before spotting the empty seat beside Alex and the plate of food you assumed was for you.

"Hurry! He's not gonna bite. Sit down so we can finally start movie night." Sapnap whined the longer you stood around.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that.." George mumbled before receiving a stiff elbow in the ribs from the person seated next to him.

"Language." The last fatal blow.

Dream chuckled before pointing at the available seat. "We even waited for you in order to start eating, so sit your ass down."

You playfully rolled your eyes as they all started complaining about how long you were taking. You sat down beside him, giving him a glance before picking up the plate of food before you. It was still nice and steamy, just like Dream had said it would be after dropping you off in your room. You hadn't realized just how hungry you were until now.

After taking a few bites and hearing the movie start, your gaze returned to the person peacefully sat next to you, taking a few seconds to truly take in the sight before you.

He was wearing a plain black short-sleeve shirt, and some basketball shorts. He looked so comfortable. And even indoors with friends, the beanie kept his hair away from his face and hidden, poorly, but hidden nonetheless.

You smiled as you got comfortable as well, admiring how the light from the TV illuminated his face before finally deciding to focus on the actual entertainment Karl and Sapnap had worked so hard to pick. All for movie night.

The movie was interesting, and you couldn't help the few times you almost choked on your food due to all the jokes being slipped in throughout the movie. Maybe Karl was right about how it takes time to pick the perfect film that fit the mood. A good laugh, some good food, and the company and comfort from friends was the best thing to do on the first day together.

Before you all knew it, you were 2 movies in and all in drowsy states.

Everyone excused themselves, the exception being George and Quackity whom had fallen asleep towards the end of the second movie. Dream agreed to wake George up, meanwhile you turned to the sleeping figure next to you.

He looked too cute, mouth slightly open from the uncomfortable position he'd fallen asleep in. You gently shook his shoulder. "Alex." You called out a few times, until finally his eyes fluttered open and he slowly looked around in confusion.

"You fell asleep during the movie. We're all heading to bed for the day, come on."

Regardless of his sleepy state, he stood and followed as you two headed to your rooms.

"Goodnight, Alex."

"Night, y/n."

As you finally laid in your bed for the next week, you couldn't help but feel so fortunate to have such a wonderful opportunity to meet all of your friends and share a home with them.

You couldn't wait to see what tomorrow had in store for you all.

—

It was a lazy morning and lazy afternoon the next day, the only exceptions being going out for lunch, but besides that everything was done in the comfort of their home.

Dream, Sapnap, and Karl were busy playing a multiplayer game in the living room while Bad, George, and Quackity messed around in the kitchen, eating snacks and making up the absolute dumbest shit to stay entertained.

It seemed difficult to choose which group to spend time with, but you found yourself headed towards the kitchen within seconds of contemplation. Sitting on a chair laughing at George's dumb jokes, egging Bad on, and laughing along to Quackity's contagious laughter.

You found yourself coincidentally seated beside Alex as you all continued to chat and mess around. After some time, the other three joined in, and dinner was ordered so they could all eat together after a long day of lazing around.

You'd all rented out the house for a few days before the convention in order to be able to enjoy more time together, so lazing around today hadn't really seemed like a waste of time, or like it could've been spent better. You'd definitely suggest actually going out for dinner rather than just ordering online for the rest of your stay though.

Before you knew it, chaotic dinner was over and people were headed straight to bed, a certain pair deciding to stay awake just a bit longer in the living room.

You rolled your eyes at their bullshit excuses before heading straight to your room. You quickly changed into sleepwear before sitting in bed and simply scrolling through social media. Honestly, you were tired but not to the point where you could easily doze off. Something felt like it was missing, and you silently racked your brain for answers while continuing the mindless scrolling on your phone.

About 30 minutes later, there was a soft knock on your door. Any distraction was welcome at this point, so you called out to let them know they could walk in.

Before you stood Alex, who seemed to be fresh out of the shower. He was in his sleepwear as well, but the beanie was nowhere in sight. His black hair was out in display, most likely to let it dry, but such a sight still had you in shock.

Not that you hadn't seen it before, but it always surprised you. No matter how many glimpses Quackity provided you with.

You stared in shock for a few seconds longer before snapping out of it and telling him to come in. He smiled and sat down on the edge of your bed.

"I couldn't sleep." He stated, before deciding to further explain. "I almost called you right now before going to bed.. I guess that's just how used I got to our calls-? But then I realized you're literally in the same house as me."

Ah. So was that what was missing? The reason why you couldn't doze off as easily? Because you weren't on call with him?

"That's true, I guess." You hummed before chuckling, "What's wrong with talking on the phone while we're here too?"

"You kidding? I'm not trying to be like Dream and Sapnap who still voice call and barely see each other even though they literally live together." You laughed at his comment, making him laugh as well at the absurdity of that situation.

"So what does that mean? You came to sleep here or something?" It was a joke, really. But I mean, why else would this dude be standing here by your door, talking about how he wanted to sleep call but instead found himself here.

"If you'd let me."

You almost choked at how easily he answered, was he joking too or was he actually expecting you to let him climb into bed? To sleep, of course, but it still had you taken-aback.

"You're serious?"

"Does it look like I'm joking?"

You stared at him for a bit before shrugging, "Get in then."

Nothing wrong with 'sleep calling' in person, right? Laying in the same bed, chatting until each other's voices lulled them to sleep. I mean, just because it was in person this time didn't make it any weirder. They'd slept on call together too many times to count. This was fine.

Alex smiled as he closed the door behind him and headed onto your bed, starting to get comfortable.

As you two lay there, you couldn't help but turn to your side and simply stare over at him. His hair to be exact. He'd never had it visible for this long, on group calls, normal calls, or just showing glimpses. It felt so surreal.

"What?" He mumbled.

"It's just- your hair. It looks so nice. You look nice." You smiled at the sight before adding, "You should do a hair reveal already so everybody can see this."

He turned to lay on his side as well so he could be facing you. "Hell no. Plus, doesn't it make you feel special? Being one of the few people who have seen it? Especially up close and personal."

The last part made you realize just how close you two had gotten within the last few seconds. Being at this proximity made you realize a lot more facial details you hadn't noticed before, probably due to camera quality and pixels.

Your hand slowly reached out, coming to a halt next to his head. He realized what you were trying to do and came a bit closer, letting your fingers gently run through his hair. After a few seconds, it all felt too natural.

There you were, laying in bed with Alex, gently playing with his dark locks as you talked about who knows what and simply enjoyed each others company.

This is basically what those late night calls felt like. Except this was definitely way better. It had the physical aspect of it that calls did not. You got to see him in such perfect resolution face to face, without worrying about any possible lag. You both were real. Basking in each others presences happily.

It didn't take too long for you both to fall asleep, and it didn't take too long either for your sleeping bodies to find comfort in the heat sources nearby.

What started as a simple arm draped around the other to steal a bit of body heat turned into having him close enough to smell the scent that lingered on him from his shower. Close enough for his grip on you to feel just a bit too intimate. Close enough where maybe their noses touched.

That was possibly the comfiest 9 hours of sleep either of them had gotten in a long fucking time.

—

The warmth you find yourself surrounded by makes it hard to get out of bed. As you attempt to fall back asleep, you realize that you're not tired. On the contrary, this might be the most satisfied (in terms of energy and sleep) you've felt in a long time.

What the fuck??

That's when that warmth you'd loved not even a minute ago comes to mind. At first you'd thought it might've been the blanket, but one glimpse to the side answers all your questions.

Alex was the one providing you with this comfortable and lovely warmth. He'd come over last night talking about 'sleep calling' in person. How could you forget?

The tension that had spiked in your body at the realization that someone was in bed with you oozed away as you looked at his peaceful state. He looked.. cute.

A few hair strands were on his face, and you couldn't help as your hand instinctively reached out to get them off his face. You hoped it wouldn't wake him up. He looked too peaceful.

As his face came into full view now, you openly stared, noticing the little moles he had all over his face. It was like stars splattered on the night sky.

As your gaze lowered and lingered on his lips, you realized just how pink they really were. And how unbelievably soft-looking they were. It brought you back a memory of his smile from yesterday while you both ate and watched the movie. You hadn't really caught the bit that had made him laugh since you were staring at him. He had a really pretty smile.

Your thoughts were interrupted at the realization that his eyelids had fluttered open, and were now staring up at you.

Oh God. You probably looked like such a creep right now. The heat that was rising up your spine and onto your cheeks must've been obvious, since he let out a small laugh.

"Were you enjoying the view?"

His morning voice took you by surprise. Sure, you'd heard it during calls sometimes, but this was on another level. It was wonderful.

"I was debating whether or not I should wake you up. You looked too peaceful." You answered, trying your best to steady your embarrassment. It wasn't necessarily a lie. He just didn't have to know all the other thoughts that crossed your mind.

He chuckled at that, before stretching a bit. "Thanks for letting me wake up on my own." He sat up, looking over at you with a small, satisfied smile. "That might've been the best sleep I've gotten in a while."

"Me too." You admitted, soft smile on your lips meant for him and him only. He stared back before returning the smile.

You two stayed in peaceful silence before deciding now was probably the best time to get up and get some breakfast with the rest of them. "We should get dressed so we can go eat."

He simply nodded before giving a small wave, heading back to his own room.

It didn't take long before you were heading out of your room and following the faint laughter into the kitchen. They were seated at the table, barely setting plates down and getting ready to eat. Just in time.

"Y/N! Good morning." Karl smiled, waving you over to the available seat beside him. Everybody else called out their good mornings as you got settled into your seat.

"Was wondering when you'd wake up." Sapnap mumbled from the seat across you. "You and Quackity sleep so fucking much."

You tensed a bit at that. Did they know you two had slept together? In the same bed? Had they tried waking you up and found you two together?

It's not what it looks like, is what you'd probably say as an explanation. Even if they didn't ask for one.

George nods in agreement, "Sapnap and I almost went and knocked on both of your doors. But we figured you both must be tired, so we just came to get breakfast ready."

Okay, perhaps they didn't know. Afterall, they were suggesting that Quackity was still in his own room. "I'm sure he'll get here in a bit." You responded, thanking Dream as he set a cup down on the table for you.

"Finally! Sleeping beauty chooses to come grace us with his presence." Sapnap greeted. You turned your head to see none other than Quackity flipping Sapnap off as he walked into the kitchen. He was dressed for the day, and had his hair hidden away with a beanie.

"How'd you sleep?" Bad asks as Alex finally sits down at the table.

"Wonderful. Best sleep I've gotten in a while." His eyes meet yours for a bit, and you can't help but smile at the implications of his words. You'd helped him sleep well. He felt comfy with you. He smiled back before looking back to the cup being given to him.

"Mm that's good." Bad nodded, before serving whatever breakfast him and Dream had managed to cook for everyone. Bad never failed to amaze you, talented as always.

"We were planning on going out today, is everyone up for it?" George asks, looking around the table for any signs of complaints.

"Honestly I'm all for it. I want to spend time with you all, exploring or just looking around." Sapnap answered, to which you cooed.

"Aww Sapnap, we'd love to spend time with you too."

"I'd fucking hope so. Now where did you want to go, George?"

"Dream and I were researching fun things to do here and we found a pretty good list. Just need you all to say yes and we can head out after breakfast."

He wasn't getting any no's, so the plans were set. Everybody ate their breakfasts before heading out the door to wherever Dream and George planned on taking them.

As you all walked to your destination, which wasn't too far according to George, you found yourself walking beside Bad.

"So, Quackity huh?" You ripped your eyes off from where they were to look back at him.

"Huh?"

"You and Quackity." He wasn't elaborating any further, which left you confused.

"What? What about him?"

"Well, you were staring at him right now and-"

"Oh. I zoned out, Bad. I'm sorry. Hopefully you didn't get the wrong idea." You interrupted him, letting out a small laugh.

"Well, that's not really what gave me the 'wrong idea'.. it was mainly the smiles and stares you two were giving each other this morning. And well, in general. Wanna fill me in on something?" He raised his brow, putting some space between you two and the rest of them by slowing his pace.

Your eyes widened slightly as you slowed down as well. "He was staring at me?"

He nodded, before adding "As much as you were staring at him."

You opened your mouth to try and explain yourself, before you heard Dream calling out to you two, saying they found the place. You gave Bad an apologetic smile before walking with him to where the others stood.

You'd come to a place with food, alcohol, and arcade games. You couldn't have expected less from Dream and George. It was perfect for this group.

You watched as Karl and George bought the cards you'd all be using to play the games. Soon after, they came back and handed everyone their card. Everyone was ready to split off to play different games.

"Y/N and I are going to fetch a table so we can leave our stuff there." Bad said with a smile. You looked over at him knowingly before nodding in agreement.

The rest of them nodded, Sapnap grabbing Dream's arm and racing off with him to the games. Karl, George, and Quackity went off to another game, excited chatter following them.

You walked beside Bad in search of a table quietly, watching as he looked around before finally approaching a table big enough to seat you all.

He sat down, looking at you expectantly. You did the same and cleared your throat as his gaze remained on you. You let out a small sigh.

"Okay, okay, I'll tell you." He smiled a bit at that. "I mean, he came to my room last night, said he couldn't sleep, and then we slept together. That's it."

You watched as his eyes widened slightly at the information he'd just gotten before your own eyes widened.

"Wait- no no! Not like that. I meant he literally slept with me. Like we fell asleep together." You could feel the heat rushing up to your face. "He said he got used to our sleep calling and I just let him sleep in my bed. It was really comfy."

You looked up, his stunned face making the heat rise faster. "Woah. I thought the cheeky little glances you guys were giving each other was things starting to get good, but you already shared a bed with him??" He let out an amused laugh.

"It's not that big of a deal, Bad. We sleep call all the time.." You felt sort of embarrassed, hearing his reactions and telling him things that felt more intimate than they should be.

"Uh? Not a big deal?? You're kidding right?" He let out a laugh, happy smile on his face. "You guys like each other!"

"Bad-! Keep it down please.. and we certainly do not." You were sweating at this point, Bad was so energetic and happy right now, and the thought of Alex hearing any of this had you on edge.

But the most discomforting part of it all was how much truth his words held. Did you actually like him?

"Am I lying, y/n?"

I don't know, is what you would've said, if it wasn't for the confusion clouding all your senses.

"y/n?"

You looked over at him, mouth slightly open, trying to form your thoughts. "You really think I like him?"

"I mean, I've been having a feeling. Since before the meet up."

What? Was it obvious for everyone? How had it taken this long for you to realize it? Those intrusive thoughts while you were staring at him this morning in bed. Had those always been there? Was he aware of your possible feelings?

"Holy fuck, Bad. A lot of it is starting to make sense." Your eyes were slightly wide from the fear of what this implied. What this meant for your friendship with him. "I-I think I do like him."

He seemed to notice how tense and shocked you looked, so he reached out and held your hand, giving it a comforting squeeze.

At the moment, you were connecting all the pieces, and things were slowly starting to make sense. Why you acted a certain way around him, random thoughts thinking he was cute, the need to meet him as soon as possible. God, why had it taken so long for you to realize?

"I mean, at least you ended up liking a nice muffin, right?" It sounded more like a question, which had you letting out a laugh. "What I mean is that he's a good guy, liking him isn't horrible. I can see why you'd end up liking him. Plus- I think everyone can see you two are pretty close."

His words helped ease the tension building up in your shoulders, but your head was still spinning. "I know he's nice, but in what sense? As in, I'll confess and he'll reject me nicely?" You paused, tensing up at just the thought of how awkward that would be. "I'd hate to ruin our friendship just because my dumbass caught feelings."

"Language." He mumbles, before letting out a small sigh. "He's nice as in he'll be understanding if he DOES reject you. But did you miss the last part of my speech? I said your friendship with Quackity is very different, anyone can tell you guys are really close. I can see where these feelings might've come from."

"Just because we're close doesn't excuse me having feelings for him. I mean, what does that say about me? Unable to have close friends without growing romantic feelings for them?" Your voice sounds hushed, as if it's dangerous to admit your feelings out loud.

"I'd say we're close friends, do we have romantic feelings for each other?" He asks softly, playing with your fingers absent-mindedly.

"I mean, I love you tons."

"I love you too, but it's not in the way you like Quackity, right?"

You kept quiet, gently biting at the inside of your cheek. Your brain was looking for ways to invalidate your feelings, tell you it wasn't right, but Bad was fighting through that and trying to reason with you.

"We both love all of our friends, and are really close to them.. but what you and Quackity have is different. I can see why you ended up liking him. Plus.. I really don't think he'd reject you. In fact, I think he likes you too."

"Bad." You warned, unsure you could handle overthinking the possibility that he liked you too right now. The realization of your own feelings was already too much.

"I'm just saying." He says, raising both hands in playful surrender. The sight elicits a small laugh from you.

But maybe.. maybe you were a bit curious. "You really think so?"

"I wouldn't have said it if I didn't. Plus, this is coming from someone who's been friends with both of you for a very long time. I see and notice things."

"Thank you, Bad. I really appreciate you and just‐ thanks for talking this through with me." It's honest and raw. He'd watched you sit at this table, trying to work everything out in your brain, and had just been endlessly supportive.

"Of course. I'm here if you need anything, alright? Now, just relax and let's go play some games, yeah?"

"Okay.. let's go!" You smiled and tugged at his hand, leading him over to where Sapnap and Dream were playing.

There was no way you were letting your own feelings ruin the fun of good food and some arcade games. You'd deal with that later.

—

Bad's advice and pep talks are top tier, but sometimes he oversteps. He doesn't mean any harm, but at times it is just too much. This is one of those times.

There's just a few days left before the big convention, and honestly the time spent together so far has been an absolute bliss. And well-spent considering you've all been out and about more often.

You find yourself in the living room with all of them, joking around and making up stupid songs while Quackity plays a beat he claimed to have made himself on his phone. It's peaceful, and no joke is taken too far. Until Bad starts trying to be the 'best wingman', as he likes to claim.

"Quackity, you should write a song for them, and perform it here in front of everyone." He says as he nudges you suggestively, a knowing smile on his face. It's so sudden and you need to make sure you heard correctly. You can feel yourself tense up at the thought of Quackity making a song dedicated to you. Specifically you. No one else.

Of course, it comes off as a joke, but since Bad knows you like Quackity it just seems way more personal. It seems like he's making it so obvious, but maybe everyone else is painfully oblivious. Clueless.

"Wow Bad. You just want him to roast the shit out of me, don't you? That's messed up." You make a noise of disappointment, trying your best to sound calm and collected.

George laughs at that, "Wowww Bad, that's pretty messed up. But you should, Quackity. Make one about Y/N and their muffins. It'll be funny." George didn't know a thing, but it felt like he was making it worse. As if there was a specific reason why they teased him into making a song about you.

With the playful cheering of everyone around him, he cleared his throat and a new beat started to play on his phone. Before you knew it, he was singing about your fictional muffins and how he would order a dozen, and found a way to include Rat slander in there as well.

Maybe you were stressing out for no reason at all. Perhaps you were the only one taking it weirdly and everyone else was just joking around making stupid songs up on the spot. You took a deep breath, and began to relax.

As the night continued, you tried to avoid any possible spotlight, focusing on getting George and Sapnap to go at each other, and the others egging them on so all you really had to do was watch the chaos ensue. It would all just lead to Sapnap calling the rest of them out and starting more playful fights.

As arguments kept coming up, the one you'd all been talking about on that one stream came to mind.

"Wait.. we still haven't done that height check between Quackity and Sapnap." Karl said with a shocked laugh. "How many days have we been together exactly?"

"Too long." Dream chimed in, eager to see the short people fighting over height they didn't have. At least not compared to him.

"Oh yeah huh." Sapnap said in realization. "Stand the fuck up right now, Quackity." He stood to his full height, puffing up his chest to try and appear taller or bigger.

Quackity rolled his eyes, "You guys only brought that up because I was clearly beating you guys in that argument."

"Okay? Stand up then."

If you were a person passing by hearing this conversation, you'd think a brawl was about to break out. Maybe you'd call security. But having context, it really was just Sapnap in his arguing mood, petty and trying to prove a point. There was no way he was sitting down until he proved he was taller than Quackity.

A small grumble of disapproval left Quackity's mouth before he stood to full height. Bad walked over and lead Quackity towards Sapnap, telling them to stand back to back so everyone could see the height difference.

You sat there in anticipation as Bad got them set up, watched as they compared heights very carefully, watched as the results were announced, and watched as Sapnap cheered and screamed some shit in Quackity's face when it turned out he was a few inches taller than Alex.

To make things funnier, Dream walked over in amusement and checked their height difference himself, making the other two look so much smaller than they already did. It was always a pleasant shock seeing just how tall Dream was compared to the average person.

This lead to height checks between all of them, trying to figure out who was the tallest (easy) and who was the shortest.

After everyone had gotten tired from the playful arguments and day they had, they began leaving to their rooms to freshen up or get comfy, probably needing a break from the banter.

Dream, George, and Karl had agreed to go pick up something to eat while the rest of you guys stayed in the living room. Just chatting now, relaxing, no height wars or petty arguments. Kinda.

"By the way, I found this one cool shop with a bunch of anime stuff. You're coming with me to check it out, right?" Sapnap asks, breaking the peaceful silence that surrounded you all while scrolling on your phones.

You looked up in confusion, not sure who he was talking to. His eyes met yours, and he gave you a look that said he was waiting for your response. "You wanna go with me?" You ask, a bit shocked since you'd expect him to go with Karl or something.

"Duh. We could look through the whole shop and see what we can find. Maybe go eat afterwards." He explains with a smile. He seems excited, and his energy is just so contagious, you can't help but smile as well.

"Well, since we're all here I'm assuming we're invited as well. Right, Sapnap?"

It's Quackity, inserting himself into the conversation, eyebrows raised and lawyer voice on, ready to fight Sapnap on this. This earns him a scoff from Sapnap.

"Don't think you'll wanna come with us. I know it's not really your thing."

"Sapnap, I'm sure he can join. Don't you see he's pouting? Plus, I'm sure food will cheer the baby up." You tease, watching as Quackity's facial expression changes into a scowl.

"Yeah right. Plus, it's rude to ask them out in front of Bad and I. We're literally their plus twos."

Bad snorts. "Plus twos? He's definitely not letting us tag along now."

Sapnap nods. "You literally have so many other days you can spend with them. Let me have my moment. Ask them out yourself if you want later."

You stiffen at the implication he's making, unable to stop the confused frown that appears on your face.

"Whatever." Quackity mumbles, before quickly switching the conversation to his beanie and what he should do to stop fans from snatching it off his head.

The topic of conversation is interesting, and quite frankly very funny, but you can't help but focus on Sapnap's comment.

Surely, he meant no harm. But you can't help the feeling that your little secret you'd shared with Bad was growing more noticeable. And if Sapnap knew? How long would it take for Quackity to realize and push you away?

"Y/N?"

You blink away your state of confusion as you refocus on the conversation. "Huh?"

"I said, how does superglue sound? For his beanie and stuff." Bad had been calling out to you, trying to reinvite you into the conversation. Apparently, you'd been quiet for a while.

"You're such an asshole, Bad. You just want to see me bald so bad." Quackity huffed.

"Not true! Also language."

Bittersweet. Your own thoughts were ruining the fun conversation your friends were having. How to answer this without seeming too obvious? Not like a pining idiot?

"I mean, so what if your hair falls out? The beanie will cover it. It's worth it."

"Plus," adds Sapnap, "your fans have been saying you're bald anyway. Prove them right."

"You're all no help to me and my problems." Quackity finally mutters, earning a laugh from the three of you.

His problems. You wouldn't wanna add another by making him have to deal with a friend trying to get out of the friend zone. You really need to get your feelings in check.

Honestly, you need to get better at hiding this shit. You can't just keep going quiet or getting lost in thought whenever someone suggests anything NOT platonic between you and Alex. I mean, it's ridiculous at this point. Bad is giving you stares, Sapnap might know by now, George might know. Hell, maybe even Quackity knows.

Too much. As soon as the others get back, you excuse yourself and call it a day.

—

Sapnap had been serious about going to that Japanese shop. He'd woken you up early, made you get dressed, and was dragging you out the house before the others could bat an eyelid.

Honestly? You'd had a lot of fun. Watching him look through all the items, picking out everything he wanted, getting matching plushies and these tiny figurines that ended up being too fucking expensive for their size. He'd been so happy, you even offered to pay for his meal in exchange for what he'd bought you earlier.

Throughout your adventures with Sapnap, you received a few notifications from Quackity, asking what you guys were up to, when you'd be back, and whether Sapnap was forcing you to stay over there with him. Sapnap and you rolled your eyes at that last bit, sending him a picture of you two flipping off the camera. All jokes, of course, and in return you received a picture of Quackity doing the same. Then he began claiming that you guys could stay there all day for all he cared.

"Seems like someone is jealous." Sapnap had said after reading Quackity's messages. You looked over at him in surprise before he quickly pocketed your phone, dragging you along to a new section of the store he'd wanted to check out.

Did Sapnap really think so? Could there be a chance Alex actually liked you, like Bad had suggested?

Beside your overthinking, the day had been well-spent, and by the time you got home, you were ready to get out of your outside clothes and into your PJs.

As you finally walked out into the living room, you watched with an amused smile as Sapnap sat with the rest of them, showing them everything he had bought at the shop, including little gifts he'd brought for them all.

No matter how 'careless', he came across, Sapnap was truly a softie. It was endearing watching him hand out the gifts you two had bought at the shop.

You made your way over to the couch, sitting beside Quackity and giving him a smile as he raised his brow. "Don't think I forgot that picture you sent me earlier today."

"You know I didn't mean it." You mumbled as you returned your gaze to Sapnap and his cheerful smile.

"You owe me an apology. And you need to make it up to me."

You scoffed at that, "You flipped me off too."

"And? You did it first. I'm the injured party here."

"Fine." You sighed, turning you gaze back at him. "How can I make it up to you?"

"Mmm.. how about we 'sleep call' again?" You froze at his suggestion, looking over at the others to see if they were listening in on your conversation.

They weren't, all too entranced with the small rant Bad was going on about a certain manga Sapnap had bought.

How could this man just admit that you two slept together with his whole chest. Without a care in the world for who was listening.

"Is that really all you want?" Stunned was the only word to truly describe how you were feeling at the moment.

"I mean, for now. I'll have to see tomorrow if I feel any better."

You rolled your eyes at that. He would most likely take advantage of that and drag it on for as long as he could. "Did you really miss me that much, Alex? Need to make up for the time lost today?"

"Wow. You're trying to make me look desperate now?"

"I just think that's how an outsider listening in on our conversation would interpret it."

"Y'know what? Let's go right now. Since you wanna call me desperate."

Again. Stunned. How was this man acting like it was nothing? This shit wasn't normal. Last time wasn't too bad because you didn't know, but now? You'd be too focused on not making it seem romantic, just purely platonic laying on the same bed together with your friend who you don't have feelings for.

It didn't take long for everyone to start heading to their rooms. He excused himself, and you followed a few minutes after, heading to your room in a daze.

As you waited for him to come to your room, you couldn't help but wonder if it'd be the same as last time. Would you be able to play with his hair or cuddle close in a strictly platonic way? Maybe you could call him bro a few times so it didn't seem like you liked him.

Your thoughts were interrupted by the door opening and revealing him in all his glory. He looked so comfy, and the beanie was once again nowhere to be seen.

Perhaps you were overreacting, but you felt this was his way of letting you know he trusted you. That he was truly comfortable around you.

This time, he felt more at ease entering your personal space. He got into bed and got comfy on his own. It didn't take long before he was facing you again, just like last time.

You smiled at him and did the same as him, your previous plans of putting distance and calling him bro getting thrown out the window at this new sight of him.

He looked so cute, just laying there and looking at you. He looked so warm too, you couldn't wait until you actually got to pull him close and blame it on your sleepy state.

"So," he started, "how was your date with Sapnap?"

Huh? The tone really caught you off guard.

"It wasn't a date. We just went to look at some manga he wanted, and got little gifts for everyone. Went to eat."

"Sounds like a date."

You narrowed your eyes at him. What the hell was that supposed to mean?

"Well, it wasn't. Why does it matter to you though?"

"It doesn't."

"Then?? You jealous or something?" You raised a brow, genuinely confused, but also wanting to see his reaction to the last bit. Maybe it'd give you some insight on his feelings for you. If there was any.

"I'm just making sure! Sue me for trying to respect anything that could possibly be going on between you two." He paused. "I wouldn't want to be asking you to sleep with me and then it turns out you and Sapnap are a thing."

You paused and simply stared at him. Was this dude serious? He was worried about you and Sapnap dating, when in reality you liked HIM? Sick and twisted.

"Well, you don't have to worry about that. Sapnap and I aren't a thing. I like someone else." You answered, and honestly you don't know why you said that.

He paused for a bit, expression unreadable before simply nodding. "And is it possible to know who this someone is??"

How did you end up in this position? It wasn't that long ago that you were confessing to Bad about your feelings for Alex while surrounded by fucking arcade games. And now you were in bed with him while he asked who your crush was. Leave it to you to mess up this badly.

You took a few more moments to just lay there with him, hand eventually going to his hair and gently playing with it. "I don't want to ruin anything." You finally responded.

It was the truth. You could just tell him, but you wouldn't be able to live with yourself if your revelation lead to him growing distant, or him rejecting you and ruining the rest of the trip.

At that, he sat up, making your hand slip out from where it had been playing with his hair. "Are you afraid you'll hurt my feelings?"

You sat up as well, staring at him for a bit before shaking your head. "I'm afraid you'll hurt mine."

"I wouldn't dare." He said reassuringly, hand reaching out to intertwine with yours.

It might've been the adrenaline rushing through your body, or the pessimist in you just telling you to get over with it, but you sat there and confessed that you liked him.

At first, there wasn't much of a response beside his wide eyes and stunned smile. You didn't necessarily know what that meant. Was he on the verge of laughter or was he shocked because he liked you as well?

The silence was killing you, and you swear you could feel tears threatening to spill as he continued to just stare. Nothing could've possibly been worst than his silence at that moment.

"You really do like me? Me, Alex Quackity?" Were his first words, and you watched as he shook his head, as if he was trying to make sense of it all.

"I don't expect you to feel the same or-"

"No no. You like me?"

He was trying to get you to repeat it, or admit it again, but it was torture.

"... I do."

He smiled at that, coming closer and using his free hand to cup your cheek. "Yeah? Well, it's your lucky day because.. I like you too."

You really couldn't believe what you were hearing. Bad had been right about him liking you as well. If he found out, he'd brag about being right and being the 'best wingman' for so long.

"Seriously?" It never hurt to double check.

"Yeah."

And with that, the distance between you two was closed. Soft lips pressed against each other awkwardly at first, not used to kissing your best friend, but it soon melted into a sweet first kiss.

After he pulled away, you gently cupped his cheeks as well, smiling at just how unbelievable this was. The guy you'd been unknowingly pining for this whole time actually liked you back, and you'd just kissed him on your bed. Bonus: he was staying the whole night for some cuddles.

You laid back down, pulling him with you and simply wrapped your arms around him, leaving small and shy kisses on his cheek, not used to this at all, testing what was okay and what wasn't. But his smile and kisses he was giving you as well told you he was more than fine with this.

"Does this make up for it?" You mumble against his own lips, teasing tone evident.

"Yes, yes it does."

—

The next morning was when the countdown finally came to an end. The day you'd all been waiting for; The Convention.

You knew this meant getting up, eating breakfast, and starting to get ready. It was a big day.

But when Quackity wanted to lay down for just a bit longer, how could you possibly say no?

This lead to you both having to walk out of your room and head straight to the kitchen 15 minutes later. There was no time to waste by pretending to have come out of your own rooms and at different times.

As you both approached the dinner table and sat down, you realized the table was dead silent, all eyes on both of you.

You looked up, making eye contact with Bad. He had this knowing grin on his face, and you couldn't help it as you felt the heat rushing up to your face. Quackity seemed unfazed by it all, simply yawning and beginning to eat his breakfast.

"So did it work or what?" Sapnap broke the silence, an expectant look on his face as he stared between you and Quackity.

"What are you talking about?" You asked, now feeling very confused.

Bad couldn't hold in his laughter any longer, and burst out into happy giggles.

"Well we were trying to make Alex get jealous so he could finally make a move. Did he do it?" Sapnap asked. Karl was smiling wide, trying to cover it with the sleeve of his sweater.

Did this mean that Karl, Sapnap, and Bad all knew you two liked each other? Had these three plotted this shit? Getting you two to realize your own feelings?

"What? You did that shit on purpose?" It was Quackity's turn to be dumbfounded.

"Duh. We figured we'd give you guys a little push in the right direction." Sapnap had a satisfied smile on his face.

You couldn't help but feel embarrassed. Your friends had worked together to make you both come to terms with your feelings. Since you two were so oblivious. Wow.

"I hate to say it since it means you actually helped,,, but it did work. We talked last night and well.. we both confessed." There was a soft smile on his lips as he told the others about what had happened.

Bad let out a small cheer, clapping his hands excitedly before congratulating you both on talking out your feelings.

"Okay now that the lovebirds are finally together, let's finish breakfast and start getting ready. Remember today is a big day!" Dream said, sounding quite excited himself.

You'd honestly forgotten for a few minutes because of the whiplash of your friends confessing they were playing cupid.

Today was the convention. The whole reason you'd all traveled out here. This whole trip had been lovely, leading up to the final event.

And you'd be leaving with a date, and good memories spent with fans and friends.

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